Many professionals are drawn to executive coaching because it offers meaningful work, intellectual challenge, and the opportunity to help leaders perform at their best. Yet committing immediately to a full 125-hour certification program is not always practical.
Executive Coaching Essentials Pathway is designed to address this reality — without lowering standards. This pathway provides a rigorous foundation in executive coaching through a flexible distance-learning format, allowing you to begin your training with confidence and structure.
This program combines our most essential core coursework, mentor coaching, and three on-demand executive coaching video programs.
February 11 - April 15, 2026
Wednesdays, 9:00-11:00 AM PT
The course runs 10 weeks, approximately two hours per week, with the last 3 weeks of the program being 4-hour practicums where you get detailed feedback on your coaching skills from our Mentor Coaches. Curriculum includes:
Three on-demand executive coaching video programs to view on your own schedule (18 hours), including:
Coaching Skills and Practice Development
Learn how professional coaches structure engagements, use a structured four step coaching model, work with organizations, and begin developing a sustainable coaching practice.
Executive Coaching: What You Need to Know
Understand the unique context of executive coaching, including working with senior leaders, sponsors, and organizational dynamics.
Field Techniques of Executive Coaching
Applied tools and techniques drawn from real executive coaching engagements, taught by senior faculty with decades of experience.
Together, this curriculum provides the core knowledge, skills, and frameworks equivalent to the learning outcomes of our 44-hour in-person intensive, delivered in a flexible combination of a live online course plus on-demand video format.
Tuition: $3,095 (register by February 10, 2026)
This provides a low risk, economical way to begin executive coach training while receiving substantial professional education.
Together, this curriculum delivers substantially the same foundational knowledge and skill development as our 44-hour intensive executive coaching programs, while allowing you to learn at a steady, manageable pace.
This option is ideal for professionals who want:
If you decide to complete our full ICF level one or level two certifications this coursework applies towards those programs. This would be an optional step — additional courses toward the full ICF certifications would be completed separately, with estimated remaining tuition of approximately $4,360 for the Level One Certified Professional Coach Certification, and $7,890 for the ICF Level Two Advanced Personal and Executive Coach Certification. There is no obligation to continue — Executive Coaching Essentials Pathway stands on its own as ICF-approved professional coach training with mentor coaching.
This pathway is particularly well suited for:
Most participants hold graduate degrees and are seeking training that reflects their level of education and experience.
Take the next step toward becoming an executive coach from the leader in coach training for professionals with graduate degrees.
Not ready to register yet? Schedule a call with a Program Advisor to answer any questions you have.
Cancellation/Refund Policy: In general, up to seven days before the beginning of the Essentials Pathway Program there is a $100 processing fee, for change or refund requests, prior to receiving any products or services, if the change or refund request is received by CEC more than seven days in advance of the start of the program. Please note that once you take an assessment, or receive any streaming video programs, the refund policy changes and refunds or changes are only allowed if it is more than seven days in advance of the start of the virtual program, and a $300 change fee applies. Beginning seven days prior to the beginning of the Essentials class no refunds or changes for any reason are permitted. If a course must be cancelled due to a natural disaster, crisis or instructor illness, the seminar will be rescheduled.
