Course Requirements
To successfully pass the HCA Diploma and graduate as a confident, competent Health Coach, you’ll need to complete the course-wide requirements outlined below.
The good news? There are no formal exams! Instead, your learning is assessed through practical experience, reflection, participation, and real-world coaching practice - all designed to support deep learning and professional readiness, rather than test performance under pressure.
These requirements ensure you gain the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed to meet professional health coaching standards and make the most of your training. Everything is spread across the duration of the course, with clear guidance provided at each stage.
Live Contact Hours
(90 Hours)
You will need to log 90 hours of live contact time. You will receive a Google sheet to log your Live Contact Hours. The completed log is due at the very end of the course, after Module 20. Visit this page to find out more about what counts as Live Contact Hours.
Live Coaching Hours
(50 Hours)
You must complete and log 50 hours of coaching practice. Your coaching hours are recorded on the same Google Sheet as your live contact hours, on a separate tab and this log is also due after Module 20. Clear guidance on what qualifies as Coaching Hours is available in the Student Resource Centre.
Read and Reflect on
Four Books
You are required to read four books over the duration of the course. Here is a link to the approved reading list.
At the end of each Pillar, you will complete a short reflection survey based on your reading. These reflections support integration of learning rather than academic assessment.
Participate in Nine Tripod Coaching Sessions
In Pillar 1, you will be introduced to Tripods - small groups of three students who coach and support one another.
You will meet with your Tripod for three coaching sessions in Pillar 1 and six coaching sessions in Pillars 2 and 3. Each session is logged in your Tripod Log, along with brief reflections.
The Tripod Logs are submitted at the end of Pillars 1 and 3 and can be found in the Student Resource Centre.
Submit One Recorded Coaching Session
You will submit one recorded coaching session to receive feedback from the teaching team. This takes place towards the end of Pillar 1 and will be fully explained and supported within that Pillar.
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Pass One Live Supervision & Feedback
You are required to successfully complete one live coaching supervision session. This occurs towards the end of Pillar 3 and is designed as a supportive, developmental experience rather than an exam. Full details are shared during the Pillar.
Conduct Six Case Studies
You will complete six case studies across the later stages of the course:
Pillar 3: One case study of 8 coaching sessions
Pillar 4: Five further case studies
Two of 6 sessions
Three of 4 sessions
These are introduced gradually and explained in detail as you progress through the course.
Working With Volunteers
Across Pillars 1, 3, and 4, you will need to work with 6–8 volunteer clients.
You may use the same volunteers for your coaching supervision and case studies where appropriate.
Before coaching volunteers, you must obtain student health coaching insurance, which is explained in Module 5.
Pillar Specific Requirements
In addition to the course-wide requirements above, each Pillar has its own completion criteria. These must be met in order to progress to the next Pillar and, ultimately, graduate from the course.
All Pillar requirements are clearly outlined within the course platform, with guidance and support provided every step of the way.