Studies & Degrees in Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching Study Programs
Executive coaching is a structured series of one-to-one conversations in which a trained coach helps a manager or professional to set goals, look at their own behaviour and make changes at work. The client is usually a director, a middle manager or a team leader, and the company often pays for the process. Unlike a consultant, the coach does not deliver a solution; unlike a therapist, the coach works on professional performance and development and does not treat health problems.
A training programme in executive coaching teaches the competences of a coach: building trust and agreeing the terms of the process, listening, asking questions, giving feedback, working with emotions and turning insight into an action plan. Programmes add knowledge of organisations and leadership, professional ethics and, increasingly, team coaching. Practice is central. Students coach each other and real clients from the start, are observed, and receive mentoring from an experienced coach.
Qualifications and levels
There is no single degree that leads to the profession. Training is offered by universities and business schools as postgraduate and executive programmes, and by specialised coaching schools. The usual formats are:
- Certification programmes for coaches: part-time courses of several months, measured in hours. The Programa de Certificación en Coaching Ejecutivo y Organizacional of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV), for example, has 150 hours.
- University lifelong-learning qualifications in Spain: Royal Decree 822/2021 defines the Diploma de Experto (fewer than 30 ECTS), the Diploma de Especialización (30 to 59 ECTS) and the Máster de Formación Permanente (60, 90 or 120 ECTS). It classes them as títulos propios, separate from official degrees.
- Master's programmes of business schools that combine coaching with leadership or human resources. Ask the school what recognition the qualification has.
- Short courses in coaching skills for managers who want to lead in a coaching style without becoming coaches.
Alongside the course certificate, coaches seek accreditation from a professional association. These bodies accredit training programmes and individual coaches, and ask for hours of real practice:
- AECOP, the Spanish association for executive and organisational coaching, has several levels. The first requires training recognised by AECOP and 50 hours of professional practice, 30 of them paid; the next levels require 200 and 500 hours.
- EMCC Global, founded as the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, awards an individual accreditation (EIA). Its Foundation level asks for one year of experience and 50 client hours, and Practitioner level for three years and 100 client hours. The accreditation is valid for five years.
- International Coaching Federation (ICF): schools often state the ICF level of their programme; the UFV programme is approved as Level 2 by the ICF, according to the university.
Before enrolling, check which association has accredited the programme and whether its hours count towards the individual accreditation you want.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 10 active schools for executive coaching, all of them in Spain. They are mainly business schools and the executive education units of universities, in Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Salamanca and the Basque Country.
The IDDI, the executive education unit of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), has its own coaching school. Its certification programme is aimed at people who want to become certified coaches and at managers who want to lead as a coach, and it is followed by a 66-hour certification cycle for trained coaches. The published price of the 150-hour programme is €5,900. EUDE Business School in Madrid lists a Máster en Coaching - Desarrollo Directivo y Leader Coach. The list also includes IESE Business School in Barcelona, ESEUNE Business School in Zamudio, EIG Education in Granada, EFEM in Madrid, the Universidad Camilo José Cela, the Universidad de Salamanca and FUNIBER.
Teaching is in Spanish at most of these schools. Several of them teach online or in a hybrid format, which suits students in Latin America; ask the school how the supervised practice sessions are organised at a distance.
Careers
Trained executive coaches work as independent coaches hired by companies, as internal coaches in a human resources or talent department, or within consulting firms that offer leadership development. Many keep their previous profession and use coaching as part of it: managers, human resources business partners, trainers and psychologists. Income and workload depend on building a client base, so most coaches combine coaching with training or consulting, at least at the start.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a specific degree to become an executive coach?
There is no single required degree. The accreditation levels described here are based on a recognised training programme and a number of hours of real practice; each association lists its other requirements. Clients usually value management experience as well.
How long does the training take?
It depends on the format. A certification programme can have about 150 hours spread over several months, as at the UFV, while a master's programme takes an academic year or more. Accreditation by an association takes longer, because it requires practice hours.
What is the difference between a course certificate and an accreditation?
The certificate is issued by the school when you complete the course. The accreditation is awarded by a professional association such as AECOP, EMCC Global or the ICF after it checks your training and your practice hours, and it may have to be renewed.
Can I study executive coaching online?
Several schools in the list teach online or in a hybrid format. Check that the programme includes observed practice and mentoring, and that the association you choose accepts those hours.