The online Graduate Certificate in Health Coaching prepares individuals to design, conduct, and evaluate clinical and non-clinical health behavior change via wellness-oriented coaching interventions. Students will be provided with the skills needed to conduct individual or small group coaching sessions. Students will also learn the fundamentals of chronic disease prevention and strategies to help improve the health status of coaching clients.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution and apply to the UAB Graduate School. They must also upon admittance schedule an advising appointment with Program Director Dr. Larrell Wilkinson.

Course and Certificate Requirements

The certificate consists of 15 credit hours, including four required courses and one advisor-approved elective course. The course list can be found in the Graduate Catalog. All courses are offered in an online format.

Please note that all students enrolled in the certificate program must apply to receive their certificates and must be registered for courses when they submit the completed UAB Application for Graduate Degree or Certificate Form to the Graduate School. The Graduate School does not award certificates or degrees retroactively.

Graduate Studies and Career Opportunities

Over the last decade, significant emphasis has been placed on the ability of professionals in a non-profit, governmental, agency, and clinical settings to have the skills and training needed to effectively plan, implement and evaluate health interventions. This certificate helps individuals gain those skills to work as health coaches in those organizations or independently.

A health coaching certificate holder wishing to apply to the master’s degree program in community health must complete all application requirements as outlined in the UAB Graduate School guidelines. A maximum of four certificate courses may be applied toward the master’s degree once the student has been admitted to the program.