MS in Psychology: Life Coaching Emphasis

A life coach is a guide who empowers clients to overcome obstacles, achieve goals, navigate transitions and reach their true potential in life. If you’re passionate about helping others overcome personal and professional obstacles, you can focus your career on psychology with the Master of Science in Psychology with an Emphasis in Life Coaching from Grand Canyon University. This degree is offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to individuals who desire to enhance their opportunities for professional growth or further academic exploration in the field.

Help others lead full, productive lives by immersing yourself in the principles and theories of mindset coaching while examining fundamental coaching skills that can immediately be put to work in your practice. You will explore models and techniques for creating a coaching alliance and developing a coaching plan. This MS in Psychology will also teach you how to work productively with individuals, businesses and other organizations, emphasizing guidance, accountability and professional ethics from a Christian perspective.

Throughout this master’s program, you’ll have opportunities to explore best practices in individual, business and organizational coaching with an eye toward empowering others to create lasting change. You’ll dive into psychology research, examining emerging trends and considering theoretical and applied aspects of experimental design. As a private Christian university, GCU offers faith-integrated coursework by exploring personal growth coaching from the Christian perspective.

The goal of helping others is central to this master’s degree program, which introduces you to research-based theories, principles and methods of psychology. With a firm foundation of scientific knowledge, you may assess individuals, develop actionable recommendations and implement effective coaching plans. Enjoy opportunities for personal and professional growth as you explore cognitive processes, thought patterns, behaviors and motivators.  

The degree program concludes with a professional capstone project, where you will examine and present original research ideas and reflect upon various occupations in the life coaching subfield.

There is a range of career possibilities for future life coaches. A life coach may specialize in a particular area of coaching, such as:¹

Life coaches can also work across a range of settings. Some specialize in working with organizations where they can provide consulting services to employers, coaching services to managers and mentoring to the company’s employees. Others work for wellness organizations or mental health clinics, while others may be self-employed entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur who runs their own coaching practice may work out of a home office, conducting sessions virtually, from an office space or the clients’ private homes.²

To further enhance career qualifications, graduates of this emphasis may choose to pursue additional certifications or a doctoral degree.²

When you enroll in this MS in Psychology, you can feel confident that you’re furthering your education with purpose. As an institutionally accredited university, GCU prioritizes academic quality, with the goal of graduating professionals who are prepared to effect positive change in the lives of others. GCU has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1968. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences shares the university’s commitment to upholding the principles and standards established by our accrediting bodies.

If helping others better their lives through coaching sounds like the perfect job for you, read through our frequently asked questions to learn more about this program.

In addition to this coaching-focused emphasis, GCU is pleased to offer other emphasis options to those who are interested in furthering their psychology education.