International Centre for Coaching & Leadership Development

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.