Course Details
next intake
Term 1
Applications Open
1 October 2024Applications Close
28 February 2025
duration
2 years, part-time
accreditation
NQF 8, CHE accredited, Level 2 ICF Accredited COMENSA GOLD Training Provider Programme
download pdf
how to apply
fees 
Gallery
Why take this course
Structured with graduates who are working professionals in mind, this part-time, two-year diploma is a credit-bearing qualification at a NQF Level 8 (honours-equivalent) and is ideal for those wanting to become a conscious, competent and confident professional coach.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching blends academic rigour with the development of strong applied practical skills. SACAP also adds our unique psychological lens to coaching as an Applied Psychology as we believe that in order to work effectively with others – one needs to understand and apply psychological principles.
What’s more, the qualification offers a solid theoretical grounding and a deep understanding of current coaching thinking, practice, ethics and research. Providing depth and mastery, the course will help you uncover your signature presence, create your own coaching model and implement a practitioner research project.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching culminates in SACAP’s unique, supervised Client Coaching Internship, which enables you to confidently navigate the bridge into the working world of professional coaching. Even more significantly, SACAP offers you the opportunity to gain invaluable practical experience, positively impact people’s personal and professional lives, as well as sharpen and refine your coaching skills and signature presence before you even graduate.
Designed to fit around your work-life balance, the course comprises evening classes Online as well as intensive modules (made up of four consecutive days) that are held in-person at the campus where you’re registered (Cape Town, Johannesburg or Pretoria). Also chat to us about company sponsored payments.
What you can expect
- Develop critical thinking for the purpose of building the comprehensive knowledge and capabilities of a professional practitioner coach.
- Explore and critically evaluate the application of theories principles and concepts from psychology and adult learning within the scope of practice as a coach.
- Learn a variety of robust coaching methods and models and how to apply them.
- Learn how to have in-depth conversations with coaching clients that empower them to shift perspectives, create possibilities, as well as plan and implement the changes they desire.
- Receive customised feedback and mentor coaching from an ICF credentialed coach towards the development of your own competencies as a professionally certified coach.
- Explore group and team coaching and examine how the richness of diversity can enhance coaching conversations.
- Learn about the importance of supervision and explore mental health, ethical boundaries for the scope of practice and indicators for referral.
- Develop your own unique signature presence and coaching approach
- Experience the dynamics in the working world of coaching through undertaking a supervised Client Coaching Internship.
- Develop practitioner research skills that equip you to contribute to the research foundations of the coaching industry.
- Personal and professional growth based on self-determined development paths that enhance your self-awareness and increase your self-mastery.
- Increased leadership qualities by virtue of who you will become as a coach.
- A heightened ability to activate resources as well as being in a healthy relationship with yourself and the surrounding world.
You will also develop
- Over the course of your diploma, you will get feedback about your demonstrated coaching skills and mentoring from International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed mentor coaches.
- The programme also includes a coaching competency performance exam and equips students as professional coach practitioners for multiple contexts such as Personal Coaching, Corporate Coaching and Executive Coaching.
Diploma highlights
Ideal for working post graduates.
Internationally accredited.
Gain a deep understanding of current coaching thinking, practice and research.
Who is this course for?
Do you:
- Want to explore what coaching is.
- Seek a future career as a professional coach practitioner or want to work as an internal coach within your organisation.
- Want to develop your competencies in this essential contemporary workplace skill in your position as an HR professional, leader or manager.
- Want to work as a professional coach practitioner who can unleash your potential to activate resources in helping others reach their potential.
- Have a natural curiosity about how psychology can be applied in effective coaching.
- Have an optimistic outlook and are able to identify positives and possibilities.
- Consider yourself to be an open-minded, self-directed learner who is courageous and willing to engage in self-exploration and work effectively with diverse perspectives and people.
- Seek depth and mastery in a coach training qualification.
- Want to credential as an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified coach
Career opportunities
- The Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching will provide you with the confidence and competence to embark on a career as a professional coach in independent practice or as part of an interdisciplinary team.
- The Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching will equip you as a professional coach practitioner for multiple contexts such as Personal Coaching, Corporate Coaching and Executive Coaching, to help individuals, organisations and society as a whole to achieve personal, professional and economic goals.
- Apply to ICF to credential as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and/or COMENSA to credential as a COMENSA credentialed Coach Practitioner (subject to also gaining the prerequisite coaching hours experience).
Additional Information
Admission requirements
Minimum Entrance Requirements:
All applicants are required to undergo a screening and selection process which includes a selection interview in addition to meeting the minimum entrance requirements. Acceptance into this programme is, therefore, not automatic.
- An appropriate Bachelor’s degree (NQF level 7) or appropriate Advanced Diploma, or SAQA verified equivalent qualification. 5 years of post-qualification life and/or work experience is an advantage. OR
- Applicants 24 years of age and older who do not meet the above requirements should provide a portfolio of evidence demonstrating formal, informal, and non-formal knowledge, training, work experience, and/or learning in a cognate field of study equivalent to an NQF level 7 qualification to support admission into the programme on the basis of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
See SACAP’s full Admissions Policy here
Intake / selection process
Applicants who meet the Minimum Entrance Requirements do not gain automatic acceptance into the Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching. Individuals must successfully undergo an interview and selection process.
How can I apply
It’s easy, you can apply online. You will also need these docs:
1. Application form
2. Certified copy of your ID
3. Certified Highest Qualification
4. Proof of Application fee of R300.00
Apply Online Here
Course details
Study options:
Designed to fit around your work-life balance, The course comprises Online evening classes and intensive modules (made up of 4 consecutive days) held on campus (Cape Town, Johannesburg or Pretoria). Company-sponsored payments accepted
Duration:
2 years part-time
Evening classes
4 x Online evening modules (3 hour weekly sessions)
Full day intensives
4 x On-campus intensive modules (4 consecutive days each)
Internship
6 Month supervised internship (placement +75 Client Coaching hours)
Mentor coaching
10 Hours Mentor Coaching
Accreditations:
- NQF 8, 129 credits
- Accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE)
- Qualification registered by South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
- SACAP is a registered Private Higher Education Institution with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)
- Accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as an Accredited Level 02 Programme of 193 hours
- Coaches and Mentors South Africa (COMENSA) Approved GOLD Training Provider Programme
Delivery:
- English
Programme vision and goals
Vision
SACAP’s Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching is a comprehensive qualification designed to rigorously equip professional coach practitioners for multiple contexts, such as Personal Coaching and Executive Coaching.
Goals
This part- time programme is designed for graduates, who are working professionals and who seek a deep understanding of current coaching thinking, practice and research. It is a credit bearing qualification at a NQF Level 8 for those who wish to become conscious, competent and confident professional coaches.
Learning goals
Year 1:
- Be able to journey with a client from beginning to end of a coaching engagement.
- Deepen your insight into how people think, feel and behave.
- Explore and critically evaluate the application of theories and concepts from psychology to be applied within the scope of practice of a coach
- Learn how to create a context that is conducive to engaging with others in a coaching manner.
- Learn how to cultivate your presence as a coach to develop others effectively.
- Increase your self-awareness and self-management.
- Develop and refine the coaching competencies of contracting, relationship building, coaching presence and effective communication as well as creating awareness, designing actions, planning & goal setting and managing process & accountability.
- Receive customised developmental feedback around your application of these coaching competencies from an ICF credentialed coach.
- Explore and critically evaluate the application of theories and concepts from adult learning in a coaching context.
- Learn two robust coaching models to apply with your coaching clients.
- Investigate models of change and their application within coaching.
- Explore ethical boundaries in depth for scope of practice as a professional coach.
- Explore how the richness of diversity can enhance the coaching conversations.
- Explore a variety of coaching models and engage with one that resonates with you.
Year 2:
- Engage in an in depth exploration of Self in relation to your coaching practice.
- Discover your signature presence so that you can develop your own unique coaching approach.
- Learn about practitioner research skills that equip graduates to contribute to the research foundations of the coaching industry.
- Implement, write up and evaluate a practitioner research project.
List of classes / parts / modules
- Applied Psychology in Coaching (14)
- Coaching Foundations, Relationship & Communication Skills (12)
- Facilitating Transformative Learning & Growth in Coaching (12)
- Applying Principles of Adult Learning & Change in Coaching (14)
- Ethics, Values & Diversity in Coaching (14)
- Coaching Models, Methods & Tools (14)
- Building your Coaching Model (14)
- Practitioner Research Methods in Coaching (10)
- Client Coaching Internship (15)
- Coaching Practitioner Research Paper (10)
List of lead instructors
Click here to see our list of educators
Policies on withdrawals and refunds
