Course overview

There are three separate stages in the Postgraduate Coaching and Development programme, and these are the Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert), Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) and Master’s (MSc). You can enter the programme at any stage relevant to your qualifications and experience. Completion of each stage enables you to continue to the next, with or without a break between each stage, but there is no obligation to do so. These part-time, work-based courses allow you to fit in studying easily with work and other commitments.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Development is aimed at leaders, managers and training professionals who want to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in this rapidly developing field. Students may be seeking to use a coaching approach in a line management role, looking to build a coaching culture within their organisation to enhance performance or even embark on a second career as a professional freelance coach.

This course is provided by the University of Portsmouth in conjunction with The Performance Coach (TPC), a well-respected company who provide coaching, training and consultancy services.

If you are interested in studying this course and would like detailed information about the programme and how to apply, please visit The Performance Coach (TPC).

Course content

Teaching is delivered through five workshops over ten days (including an induction day at the University of Portsmouth Business School). Learning is also supported by:

• your Course Leader at the University, who will act as personal tutor to each student
• access to University of Portsmouth Library facilities
• 30 hours' coaching practice
• three virtual group supervision sessions
• access to online learning resources e.g. films, webinars
• guest faculty delivering Master Classes on specific coaching topics

Topics covered include:

Foundation coaching skills

• Develop core coach competencies.
• Understand the key skills and models for coaching and be able to apply these in a coaching relationship.
• Define coaching and understand the range of coaching styles.
• Understand the boundaries for a coaching relationship and how to contract effectively.
• Explore the importance of supervision within coaching.
• Learn to self-reflect and appraise coaching capabilities to identify areas for personal development in coaching, and plan for new learning.

Creating insights

• Exploring your vision and identity as a coach; understanding your signature strengths and areas of focus.
• Becoming more self aware and emotionally intelligent as a coach.
• Learning to self-evaluate performance and ways of being as a coach.
• Helping clients develop emotional intelligence and personal insight.
• Exploring a number of different concepts and tools which generate personal insights in others and enable personal change.

Applied positive psychology in coaching

• Understand different tools, concepts and approaches from Positive Psychology and how these can be used to impact learning and performance.
• Helping a system and clients to become more resilient and have more of a strengths-based focus.
• Working with purpose and meaning.
• Using transpersonal tools and techniques to create deep awareness and personal change.

Coaching leaders

• Understand key leadership models and frameworks.
• Explore models, tools and concepts for effective leadership development.
• Experience practical tools and techniques which are congruent with developing leaders.
• Enabling leaders to create a vision for their leadership, to think strategically, to problem-solve.
• Coaching leaders in transition.
• Assess participants' current level of coaching competence.

Teaching and assessment

This programme is assessed, quality assured and awarded by the University of Portsmouth, whilst TPC’s world-class trainers and facilitators deliver course content and work with students to develop their knowledge and understanding of coaching theory and application.

The course takes a work-based learning approach which allows students to apply this knowledge and theory to their workplace. This approach means students produce current and applied work-based assignments for assessment. The University of Portsmouth then provides the expertise to assess the knowledge and understanding of individuals who are progressing towards the award of Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.

Students will complete two 4,000-word work-based learning projects.

Progression

This programme offers a work-based Master's qualification using the integrated flexible Master's framework leading to the award of MSc. The programme is designed to offer flexibility to students and employers.

Students’ learning will be self-directed and will take place through their attendance at coaching and development programmes or workshops delivered by the University’s partner organisation and in the workplace, supported by their employers.

The design of the programme means that students are assessed on two units for the Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Development (PgCert). Each unit carries 30 credits, giving a total credit value of 60 credits. For the Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching and Development (PgDip), students complete two units, giving a total of 60 units and an accumulated total of 120 credits. Successful completion of both the PgCert and PgDip merits the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching and Development (PgDip).

The MSc comprises a Research Methods and Dissertation unit (60 credits). Students who successfully complete the PgCert and PgDip together with the Research Methods and Dissertation unit will merit the award of Master of Science in Coaching and Development.

Career prospects

Whether you are an internal or external coach, this postgraduate programme will help you make an incredible difference to your coachees by enabling you to create sustainable change.

Facilities and features

The Performance Coach has a wide range of online tools. For team and individual coaching and development programmes, we find that effective and timely feedback is a key contributor to rapid growth and performance improvement, and our tools are invaluable in providing this feedback.

Currently programme workshops are taking place at Barnet Hill.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for PgCert Coaching and Development are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Portsmouth Business School
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 4602
Email: bus-pgrad@port.ac.uk