Positive Health Coaching

The increasing role of individuals in maintaining and maximising their own health is being driven not only by new research but also by economic considerations. States are finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the increasing burden of chronic lifestyle-related diseases especially in ageing populations. The solution will not be solely to develop more and more high-cost interventions but to assist individuals to maintain their own health for as long as possible.



This programme is designed to complement your prior training and experience. You'll explore key concepts and findings from positive psychology, positive organisational scholarship and coaching psychology and train how to plan and deliver the coaching skills necessary to help individuals maintain their own health.



Explore what this means in practice on the MSc in Positive Health Coaching from RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences.



This course is a Level 9 award on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications



Suitable for

This programme is suitable for healthcare and allied health professionals, particularly those that have previous coaching or mentoring experience and wish to build on that foundation.

What you will learn



Module 1

Modern health and well-being approaches

Learn to tackle lifestyle diseases, focusing on psychological factors



Module 2

The pillars of lifestyle medicine

Explore the role of diet, physical activity, sleep, and mental health



Module 3

Positive health in practice

Understand behaviour change, mind-body relationships, and methods to optimise well-being



Module 4

Foundations of evidence-based coaching

Gain coaching skills, knowledge of coaching psychology, and engage in practice sessions



Module 5

Positive psychology coaching

Learn positive psychology coaching methods to enhance health and well-being



Module 6

Becoming a reflective practitioner

Develop reflexivity, coaching supervision, and ethical practice through seminars and workshops



Module 7

Research methods and methodology

Study research methods for lifestyle medicine and positive psychology, including ethics



Module 8

Research proposal and portfolio

Design a detailed research project with ethics application

This MSc in Positive Health Coaching involves modules on the biological underpinnings of health and lifestyle medicine. Topics include the science of sleep, eating well, daily activity, stress, the negative impact of smoking (including e-cigarettes) and alcohol consumption as well as the basic biology and impact of chronic inflammation and the gut microbiome on health. Therefore, it is necessary that you have a basic understanding of human biology.



It is also desirable that you have experience engaging with clients or patients in a supportive environment (clinic, community care, private practice etc.).



To be eligible for the programme you must:



Be working in a relevant sector (e.g. healthcare, allied health, management or equivalent) with coaching experience.



Hold a level 7 or level 8 degree, or equivalent in a health-related area (medicine, nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy, etc.) and have an understanding of the biology that underpins health.

or

Hold a level 7 or level 8 degree, or equivalent in a psychology-related discipline (e.g. clinical psychology) and have an understanding of the biology that underpins health, as part of undergraduate or postgraduate training.



Meet the English language requirements: IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent score on another standardised test. Please refer to the English language requirements below.



Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

If you do not meet the minimum academic requirements above, you may still be eligible to apply through recognition of prior learning (RPL). RPL is the assessment of knowledge, skills and competence previously acquired.



Learning occurs in many contexts which include work, involvement in social and community activities, or learning through life experience generally. RPL does not give credit for experience as such; rather it considers the learning that was acquired as a result of the experience.



RPL may be used to gain:



Admission to courses/programmes where a person may not have obtained the standard entry requirements.



Exemptions from course modules which duplicate the learning outcomes an individual has already demonstrably acquired through prior learning.



Recognition of prior learning (RPL) pathway is outlined here.



If you wish to apply for recognition of prior learning, please complete the essay requirement as per assignment descriptor outlined in the document below.



English language requirement exceptions

Exemptions may apply for:



Applicants who have completed their school or undergraduate studies (three or more years) through English in a country where English is the majority native language.



Applicants who have completed their school or undergraduate studies (three or more years) in an English speaking institution in a country where English is not the majority native language and where an IELTS score of 5 or more was a requirement for admissions to the programme.



Applicants who have been working in a country (three years or more) where English is the majority native language or for an employer where English language is the official language.



Graduates of an RCSI Undergraduate, Masters or Professional Diploma programme in Dublin and Bahrain.

Please note: Certified proof must be uploaded as part of your application.

2 years



Mode of delivery

Hybrid - Part-time

Next start date September 2025