Our rankings
We're ranked 30th globally for psychology by the 2021 QS University Rankings by Subject.
Our graduates are ranked 1st in Australia and 4th globally for employability by the 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings.
In response to COVID-19, the University of Sydney has reviewed the availability of courses to be delivered remotely for students commencing their studies in Semester 1, 2021.
This course will be available to study remotely for students commencing in Semester 1, 2021. Please note that some units of study that are not essential to completing the degree may not be available to be studied remotely.
Note: The University intends to offer as many units of study as possible in a remote as well as face-to-face learning method of delivery in Semester 1, 2021 and subject to ongoing border closures and public health orders impacting attendance on campus, in Semester 2, 2021. However, some units of study and courses require students to study in-person at the relevant University of Sydney campus/es and host locations for placements and will not be available remotely.
About this course
Learn to help people improve their performance with a Master of Science in Coaching Psychology. Providing a solid grounding in theory and practice, this unique course will give you the skills to enhance productivity and quality of life of individuals, organisations and the broader community.
The Master of Science in Coaching Psychology teaches the applied science of human performance enhancement and coaching. This unique one-year course is a rare opportunity to be part of the fast growing and relatively new field of coaching psychology, which seeks to enhance human performance in work, relationships and life in general.
Coaching psychology is an applied positive psychology course and sits at the intersection of counselling, clinical and organisational psychology. This program provides you with a sound grounding in the theoretical and methodological aspects of coaching psychology and teaches fundamental applied coaching skills.
Our main focus is on coaching in business and organisational settings. The program aims to give you the knowledge to be a skilled coach, capable of coaching in an extensive variety of settings and with a wide range of clients including executive, management and personal coaching.
The Coaching Psychology program at the University of Sydney is one of the few postgraduate qualifications worldwide in coaching psychology. The Coaching Psychology Unit at Sydney is recognised as a world leader in the development of both coaching theory and its real world application. Ensuring students receive the best available training, coaching psychology is taught by practising coaching psychologists, and training and management consultants, all of whom have extensive experience in their specialised fields and many of whom have international reputations. The programs offer leading edge training in the theory and practice of coaching.
Program expectations
You can expect to gain both a sound grounding in the main psychological theories and principles that inform coaching practice and a foundation in the core skills of applied coaching. These theoretical and applied skills include:
Commonwealth Supported Places
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) are available for this course for eligible domestic students. This means that your course fees are subsidised by the Australian Government and you pay a student contribution amount (SCA). CSP places are limited in number and are allocated based on academic merit.
For academic requirements check the ‘Admission requirements’ section on this page.
You can apply online via the application portal. When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply’ button on this course page. Visit the How to apply page for other important information.
Please note you must supply supporting documentation with your application in order for your application to be considered, including:
You need to scan, upload and attach this supporting documentation to your application. To help the assessment process, we request that you upload no more than 4 attachments to your application. If you wish to submit more than 4 documents for consideration, please consolidate all documents into 1 attachment. All transcripts should be consolidated into 1 attachment. Please note that admission into this course is only available for Semester 1 intakes. Admission into Semester 2 intakes is not available.
Closing dates
Semester 1 2021 - Thursday 11 February 2021
We strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible, offers are made on a rolling basis and places are limited. Separate scholarship deadlines apply - check the scholarships website for details.
Semester 1 (March)
You can apply online via the application portal. When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply’ button on this course page. Visit the How to apply page for other important information.
Please note you must supply supporting documentation with your application in order for your application to be considered, including:
You need to scan, upload and attach this supporting documentation to your application. To help the assessment process, we request that you upload no more than 5 attachments to your application. If you wish to submit more than 5 documents for consideration, please consolidate all documents into 1 attachment. All transcripts should be consolidated into 1 attachment. Please note that admission into this course is only available for Semester 1 intakes. Admission into Semester 2 intakes is not available.
Closing dates
Semester 1 2021 - Sunday 31 January 2021
We strongly encourage international applicants to apply as early as possible to allow time for visa and travel arrangements. Separate scholarship deadlines may apply - check the scholarships website for details.
Semester 1 (March)
Study can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. Your individual study plan will of course depend on the availability of units in a given semester.
Subject to availability of supervision and suitable projects, candidates with a credit average in 24 credit points from the degree may be admitted to the research pathway. Contact the course coordinator for more information about the research pathway.
View the Coaching Psychology Unit timetable.
Please note this timetable is indicative only.
Degree sample: Master of Science in Coaching Psychology
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | |
| Theories and Techniques of Coaching Psychology Coaching Practice Fundamentals of Coaching Practice Coursework elective
|
Coursework elective Coursework elective Coursework elective/ research project Coursework elective/ research project
|
Electives include: Socio-Cognitive Issues in Coaching Psychology; Positive Organisational Coaching; Groups, Teams and Systems; Applied Positive Psychology; Psychology of Peak Performance; Research Project in Applied Psychology.
View the 2019 Coaching Psychology Unit timetable.
Please note this timetable is from 2019 and is indicative only. An updated 2020 version will be available in late February.
Our students are typically mid-career professionals with some coaching experience and prior coach training of some sort. A section of our students are professional coaches seeking to extend their practice and gain a thorough grounding in the psychology of coaching. Another section of our students are managers from a wide range of professions and industry sectors who have used coaching skills in the workplace and have undertaken ‘manager as coach’ training and leadership development programs. We also have a number of human resource and organisational development professionals in the program who typically have been involved in organising or delivering coaching in the workplace.
For admission to this course, you should have either:
A credit average means a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 65.
You should also have at least three years relevant employment experience.
As entry into this course is competitive, applicants who meet the admission requirements are then ranked according to academic merit and coaching experience. Course numbers are limited and offers will be made to applicants on the basis of rank, subject to a strict enrolment quota. Top-ranked applicants will be made early rolling offers prior to the year of commencement. For all other applicants, the first offer round occurs in mid to late January in the year of commencement. The second and subsequent offer rounds occur throughout February in the year of commencement.
If you do not meet the requirements for admission into the Master of Science in Coaching Psychology you may wish to consider applying for entry into the Graduate Diploma in Coaching Psychology or the Graduate Certificate in Coaching Psychology.
As part of the embedded program, upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Coaching Psychology, you may gain entry to the Graduate Diploma in Coaching Psychology through an internal “upgrade”. In turn, upon successful completion of the Graduate Diploma in Coaching Psychology, you may gain entry to the Master of Science in Coaching Psychology through an internal “upgrade”.
A very limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) may be available to domestic applicants for this course from year to year. All domestic applicants who are successful for admission into this course are automatically ranked and assessed for CSP by the Faculty of Science on the basis of academic merit and coaching experience. No additional application to the Faculty is required. Only top-ranked applicants will be granted CSP, subject to yearly availability. Late applicants will not be considered for CSP.
The academic requirements that are displayed are applicable to currently available courses only, and are updated annually in October and may be changed without notice. The Handbooks Online and the University of Sydney Calendar are the official legal source of information relating to study at the University of Sydney, and you are referred to those documents.
While there is no generally recognised professional qualification for coaches, the program is consistent with the International Coach Federation (ICF) core competencies. Hence successful completion of the program may contribute toward accreditation in the ICF's portfolio track.
This course is not a pathway for professional registration as a psychologist.
After graduating, you could expect to gain employment in a range of jobs involving:
The staff in the Coaching Psychology Unit come from a wide range of academic and business backgrounds.
The core staff are:
