International Centre for Coaching & Leadership Development
Part of Oxford Brookes Business School, ICCLD (now operating as ICCAMS) has delivered EMCC-accredited postgraduate coaching and mentoring education for more than 20 years, and hosts the world's only Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring programme.
- Type
- Coach Training Organization
- Founded
- 2003
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
About
The International Centre for Coaching and Leadership Development (ICCLD), based at Oxford Brookes University's Headington Campus in Oxford, UK, is one of the longest-established academic centres for coaching and mentoring education in the world. The centre now operates under the name International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies (ICCAMS), a research unit within Oxford Brookes Business School whose faculty are active researchers publishing in peer-reviewed journals alongside their teaching roles.
ICCAMS publishes the International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring and has hosted its Annual Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference since 2004. Both signal an institution oriented around scholarship rather than skills delivery alone. The professional network OBCAMS (Oxford Brookes Coaching and Mentoring Society) meets monthly, drawing practitioners, students, and alumni into ongoing dialogue around research findings and their application to practice.
Programmes
ICCAMS offers programmes from introductory certificate through to doctoral level, structured to serve practising coaches, managers, and HR professionals at every stage.
The MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice is available as a full master's degree (2 to 5 years part-time), a Postgraduate Diploma (16 months), or a Postgraduate Certificate (8 months). Study is offered at Headington Campus or by distance learning, with identical fees for both modes. Applicants need at least a second-class honours degree or equivalent and at least two years of relevant professional experience.
The Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring (DCM) admits approximately eight participants per cohort, each with substantial coaching or mentoring experience, and challenges them to produce original research that pushes the field's boundaries. Oxford Brookes describes it as unique in the world at the doctoral level. This is a programme for practitioners ready to contribute new knowledge to the field, not an entry pathway.
ILM-accredited certificates at Level 5 (Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring) and Level 7 (Certificate for Executive and Senior Level Coaches and Mentors) provide shorter professionally recognised routes for those not pursuing a full master's degree. A Professional Certificate of Advanced Study in Coaching Supervision supports coaches developing supervisory practice.
Methodology
Oxford Brookes treats coaching as more than a set of techniques to apply. The programme philosophy holds that sustainable effectiveness requires understanding the theory behind the practice. Core subjects include psychotherapeutic orientations (psychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive behavioural approaches), coaching psychology drawing on evolutionary psychology and neuroscience, and adult development theory. That conceptual range is what allows coaches to adapt when standard approaches reach their limits.
Core modules cover coaching and mentoring fundamentals, transformational and adult learning theory, the psychotherapeutic dimensions of coaching, coaching psychology, and coaching in organisational settings. Practice modules require students to coach real clients under the supervision of qualified coaching supervisors. ICCAMS was the first MA programme in coaching to build professional supervision into the curriculum as a standard requirement rather than an add-on.
Faculty research directly informs teaching. Professor Tatiana Bachkirova, whose work on coaching psychology and self-deception in coaches appears in journals including Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, has shaped how the programme approaches reflective practice. Dr. Adrian Myers, Programme Lead for the MA, conducts research on the intersubjective dimensions of coaching sessions. Students engage with peer-reviewed literature from the first module. Assessment is by coursework and dissertation only. There are no examinations.
Accreditation
The MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice is accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). Students who complete the Certificate Stage typically become eligible for EMCC Senior Practitioner status, subject to individual EMCC membership and standard accreditation fees (discounted for Brookes students).
The ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring carries its own EMCC Global accreditation independently. The ILM Level 7 Certificate is accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management.
These programmes are not currently listed as ICF-accredited training. Graduates who wish to apply for an ICF credential (ACC, PCC, or MCC) apply directly to the International Coaching Federation by submitting their training hours and documented coaching practice.
What This Means for You
Choosing ICCLD/ICCAMS means choosing a university setting where coaching education is grounded in ongoing research. The faculty are working academic researchers as well as experienced coaches, and their findings feed back into the curriculum year on year.
The MA and doctoral programme confer academic qualifications, not standalone commercial coaching certifications. The EMCC Senior Practitioner eligibility attached to the Certificate Stage is meaningful professional recognition, but it's a separate pathway from an ICF credential. Someone whose primary goal is to gain an ICF ACC or PCC should confirm whether their logged programme hours qualify under ICF's coach-specific training hour requirements before enrolling.
For practitioners wanting a rigorous research foundation for their coaching practice, this centre is one of the few places where that's genuinely available at every level from PGCert through doctorate. The DCM sits at the far end of that spectrum, reserved for practitioners ready to make an original contribution to the field.
Coaching is not therapy. Oxford Brookes programmes prepare coaches and coach supervisors for professional practice contexts. They don't confer clinical licensing or authorise therapeutic treatment. Clients whose needs involve mental health conditions requiring clinical intervention should engage with qualified mental health professionals in parallel with, or instead of, a coaching engagement.
Our mission is to expand the knowledge base of coaching and mentoring by promoting research and teaching that places evidence at the heart of professional practice.
Questions about International Centre for Coaching & Leadership Development
Q.01What is ICCLD?
What is ICCLD?
ICCLD (International Centre for Coaching and Leadership Development) is the research and teaching centre at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, UK, specialising in postgraduate coaching and mentoring education. It now operates under the name International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies (ICCAMS) within Oxford Brookes Business School. Programmes range from an 8-month PGCert through to the Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring, the only doctoral programme of its kind in the world.
Q.02Where is ICCLD located?
Where is ICCLD located?
ICCLD is based at Oxford Brookes University's Headington Campus in Oxford, UK. All taught programmes are also available by distance learning at the same tuition fee rates, making them accessible to coaches and professionals who can't relocate to Oxford.
Q.03What programmes does ICCLD / Oxford Brookes ICCAMS offer?
What programmes does ICCLD / Oxford Brookes ICCAMS offer?
ICCAMS offers the MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice (available as full MA, PGDip, or PGCert), the Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring (DCM), ILM Level 5 and Level 7 coaching certificates, and a Professional Certificate of Advanced Study in Coaching Supervision. The MA and DCM run part-time for working professionals. The ILM certificates are shorter routes for those not pursuing a full master's degree.
Q.04Is the MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice EMCC accredited?
Is the MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice EMCC accredited?
Yes. The MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice is accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). Students who complete the Certificate Stage typically become eligible for EMCC Senior Practitioner status, subject to individual EMCC membership and standard fees, which are discounted for Brookes students. The ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring also carries EMCC Global accreditation independently.
Q.05Is the MA programme available by distance learning?
Is the MA programme available by distance learning?
Yes. The MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice is fully available by distance learning as well as on campus in Oxford. Tuition fees are identical for both modes. The programme uses interactive online resources and live online seminars, with each module building progressively on the last.
Q.06Is the Oxford Brookes coaching programme ICF accredited?
Is the Oxford Brookes coaching programme ICF accredited?
No, not currently. ICCAMS programmes are EMCC accredited at the MA level and ILM accredited at certificate level. Graduates seeking an ICF credential (ACC, PCC, or MCC) apply directly to the International Coaching Federation with their logged coaching hours and training documentation. ICF eligibility isn't automatic upon completion of an EMCC-accredited programme.
Q.07What is the Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring (DCM)?
What is the Doctor of Coaching and Mentoring (DCM)?
The DCM is a professional doctorate that admits approximately eight experienced coaches and mentors per cohort, challenging them to produce original research that advances the field. Oxford Brookes describes it as unique in the world at the doctoral level. It's designed for practitioners with substantial experience who want to contribute new knowledge, not for those seeking their first coaching qualification.
Q.08What should I ask a coach trained at ICCLD or Oxford Brookes before hiring them?
What should I ask a coach trained at ICCLD or Oxford Brookes before hiring them?
Start by asking which specific qualification they completed: PGCert, PGDip, MA, or DCM. These represent substantially different depths of training. Ask whether they hold an EMCC credential and at what level, since the MA Certificate Stage typically qualifies graduates for Senior Practitioner status. Ask how they apply research in their practice: Oxford Brookes trains coaches to engage with peer-reviewed literature, so you want to hear evidence of that orientation. Ask how many hours of supervised coaching they completed during the programme, since practice with qualified supervision is built into the MA from the start.
Q.09What does an Oxford Brookes coaching qualification tell me about a coach?
What does an Oxford Brookes coaching qualification tell me about a coach?
It tells you the coach completed a university-level programme with a research-informed curriculum, peer-reviewed assessment, and documented supervised practice. The MA represents at least two years of part-time study engaging with coaching psychology, psychotherapeutic theory, and a supervised dissertation at minimum. EMCC accreditation means the programme met externally validated professional standards. What it doesn't tell you: whether the coach holds an ICF credential (a separate process), whether they have specialist niche expertise, or whether they have any clinical training. Coaching is not therapy, and an Oxford Brookes qualification doesn't authorise clinical practice.
Q.10What research does ICCAMS publish?
What research does ICCAMS publish?
ICCAMS publishes the International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, one of the field's dedicated peer-reviewed academic journals. The centre has hosted its Annual Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference since 2004. Faculty research covers coaching psychology, ethics in coaching, the coaching relationship, embodiment in practice, resilience, leadership and team coaching, and designing and evaluating coaching schemes in organisations.