New graduate course offers professionals a path to internationally recognized coaching credential, microcredential

Kansas State University’s Leadership Coaching course delivers 40 ICF-approved continuing education hours and three graduate credits in six weeks, plus offers a pathway to a microcredential.

Graduate-level students and professionals seeking credentials in leadership coaching can now do so through a new graduate-level course at Kansas State University. LEAD 720: Leadership Coaching, is now accredited through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and is one of three required courses to earn a microcredential in Leadership Coaching.

Students and working professionals can earn 40 hours of ICF-approved Continuing Coach Education (CCE) alongside three graduate credit hours.

The International Coaching Federation, the world’s largest coaching membership organization, defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. ICF credentials are widely regarded as the gold standard in the coaching industry, and earning or renewing them requires documented education hours from approved providers. For professionals who have been delaying that step, this course offers a concrete on-ramp.

For students or professionals who are nondegree seeking, the Leadership Coaching microcredential is another pathway to skill-building in coaching. This microcredential is earned through three courses (nine credit hours).

“These are exciting opportunities at K-State for learners and professionals who want to develop coaching skills to build their resume and support those around them,” said Andrew Wefald, Ph.D., P.C.C., professor at the Staley School of Leadership. Wefald has been a leadership scholar for almost 20 years and is a Professional Certified Coach (P.C.C.) with the International Coaching Federation.

The coursework is built around the ICF’s core coaching competencies and ethical standards, and it is designed to meet the needs of two distinct audiences: graduate students looking to build a professional edge in fields like leadership, organizational development, and human resources, and industry professionals who already work in coaching-adjacent roles and want to formalize or advance their practice.

Why coaching skills matter inside and outside the office

The case for coaching skills extends well beyond formal coaching practice. At its core, coaching is about:

• listening deeply

• asking powerful questions

• helping another person find their own clarity, direction, and motivation

Those capabilities translate across an enormous range of professional and personal contexts.

In organizational settings, managers and supervisors who use coaching approaches tend to build stronger, more trusting relationships with their teams. Rather than defaulting to directives or quick fixes, coaching-informed leaders ask questions that help employees think through challenges on their own, a practice that develops capability and accountability over time. Human resources professionals, talent development specialists, and organizational consultants draw on these same skills when navigating difficult conversations, supporting transitions, or designing development plans.

Educators and student affairs professionals find that coaching competencies enhance their ability to support learners without creating dependency. Advisors, counselors, and mentors across disciplines use active listening and inquiry-based approaches to help people clarify their goals and take ownership of their decisions. K-State employees have an additional incentive: The university’s Employee Tuition Assistance Program can be applied to the course.

Community leaders and nonprofit professionals benefit from coaching skills when facilitating groups, managing volunteers, or supporting individuals through complex personal or civic challenges.

And outside professional contexts entirely, the skills developed through coaching training, like empathy, presence, the ability to listen without judgment and ask rather than tell, strengthen personal relationships, improve communication, and help people become more thoughtful in how they support the people around them.

A dual benefit for graduate students and working professionals

For graduate students, the Leadership Coaching coursework offers something rare: learning that builds practical, immediately applicable skills while also satisfying academic requirements. The curriculum combines leadership theory, coaching research, and applied skill development, giving students both a scholarly foundation and practice they can take directly into internships, assistantships, or early-career positions.

For working professionals, ICF approval is the headline. Coaches who hold an ICF credential, or who are working toward one, must demonstrate a set number of continuing education hours to earn or maintain their credential. Completing LEAD 720 satisfies 40 of those hours while also providing the academic rigor and peer learning environment that distinguishes university-based training from self-directed study.

The course does not require prior coaching experience. It is structured to help participants at every level, from those exploring coaching as a possible career direction to credentialed professionals looking to deepen their competency and build a stronger foundation in coaching knowledge, ethics, and practice.

And with the addition of two K-State courses (for a total of 9 credit hours), students and nondegree seeking individuals can earn their Leadership Coaching microcredential.

“The Staley School continues to expand our graduate-level offerings to best meet the needs of a competitive hiring environment. But we’re doing so guided by a clear commitment to our mission of developing bold, curious, connected learners,” said Mary Tolar, dean of the Staley School of Leadership.

What the coursework covers

Over six weeks, students move through a curriculum centered on ICF coaching competencies and ethics, leadership theory and coaching research, and applied skill development through coaching practice, peer feedback, and reflective learning. Participants will practice coaching, observe coaching, receive structured feedback, and analyze real coaching conversations. The course also includes a research component that asks students to develop a research proposal grounded in leadership and coaching scholarship.

By the end of the course, students will be able to distinguish coaching from related practices such as advising, mentoring, consulting, and therapy, a distinction that matters both ethically and practically in professional settings. They will also leave with a stronger personal sense of their own development as a coach and leader and gain valuable workplace leadership and coaching skills. Students will earn 40 hours of Continuing Coach Education with the International Coaching Federation https://coachingfederation.org/.

Course details and enrollment

LEAD 720: Leadership Coaching will be offered July 6 to Aug.14, online, and taught by Andrew Wefald, Ph.D, P.C.C. It carries three graduate credit hours and provides 40 ICF-approved Continuing Coach Education hours upon completion. To enroll or learn more about the course, contact Andrew Wefald at wefald@k-state.edu.

This course is the first in a three-course series that comprises a new microcredential at K-State on Leadership Coaching, https://microcredentials.k-state.edu/microcredentials-directory/leadership-coaching/. This 9 credit-hour microcredential will provide students with valuable leadership coaching skills, ICF-focused coaching competencies, coaching ethics, and coaching practice. Students will learn from ICF credentialed instructors, and gain the skills and knowledge to build their own coaching practice. The microcredential will also give professionals the needed skills for professional development and career progress. The Staley School is working with the ICF for future educational opportunities. To stay up to date on those opportunities, please follow the Staley School of Leadership on Instagram or Facebook for the latest news and announcements, or visit our Graduate Student Academics website.