Enter the Growing Field of Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is one of the fastest-growing fields of management consulting in America. SMU's 9-hour concentration in Executive and Leadership Coaching can be taken as a stand alone set of courses leading to a departmental certificate of completion, and provides students with a comprehensive, classroom-based, learning experience that gradually builds on skills and knowledge throughout the course sequence. The coursework provides students with the theoretical grounding and applied practice needed to enter the field of executive coaching as a consultant or internal practitioner.

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Distinctive Features

The program offers several distinctive features:

  • The certificate of completion consists of three courses
  • All courses are conducted on weekends to support participation by working professionals and out-of-state students
  • Courses are provided in the areas of theory and practice, professional context, and International Coach Federation competencies

Courses

Executive and Leadership Coaching Theory and Practice

Students are introduced to the theoretical underpinnings of coaching and the influence of each perspective on the evolution of coaching (psychology, adult learning theory, systems theory, communication and social psychology). Students become knowledgeable about how various disciplines have informed coaching processes and applications. Students also learn about the applications of coaching with executives, teams and groups.

Essentials of Executive and Leadership Coaching

In the Essentials of Executive and Leadership Coaching, students are introduced to the core competencies and skills required to become an effective coach. Coaching competencies and processes are introduced in order to build a broad framework for understanding coaching. Students are provided the opportunity to assess their current strengths and identify their growth areas as part of the developmental process of becoming an executive and leadership coach.

Executive and Leadership Coaching in Context

Students are introduced to the art of coaching which involves a shift in focus from theory to practice.  Students are introduced to coaching approaches for achieving results with clients and the rationale for selecting a specific approach. Students also learn about the contexts in which coaching can be applied (executive and leadership coaching, team coaching, group coaching). They learn that executive and leadership coaching requires more than a “one-size-fits-all” methodology.
Prerequisite: Essentials of Executive and Leadership Coaching.

Cost

In 2020-2021, the tuition for each course is $2,175 or $725 per credit hour.