Best Health Coach Certification Programs

Since 1992, IIN has offered an online health coach certification program with over 155,000 certified students in 175 countries. Its comprehensive program equips you to work with clients one-on-one or in groups or alongside healthcare professionals such as medical doctors, chiropractors, personal trainers, registered dietitians, and nutritionists.

With a health coach certificate, you will be well-versed in nutrition science, wellness concepts, coaching methods and theories, and business building and marketing skills.

The one-year or six-month accelerated program cost is $6,995, but IIN may offer promotional pricing if tuition is paid in full and you must have a high school diploma or equivalent to apply. IIN is a licensed vocational school, and your certificate equals 29 college credits toward a degree at a participating institution.

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition provides modules through its online learning center with audio and visual lectures, quizzes, assignments, and tests. You can connect with classmates and instructors through their private Facebook group. 

The Duke Health & Well-Being Coach Training is designed with the medical or allied health professional in mind who want to expand their skills and learn how to work with clients to change behavior and promote healthy habits. This 9-month intensive program covers topics such as the role of a health coach, patient-centered care, and implementing your new coaching skills with your patients.

The DHWCT course is offered in-person and online, though in-person learning is paused until July 2023. Students spend three hours per week in online lectures and two hours on homework, must attend all webinars, and pass the final exam with 80% or higher. You can retake the exam as many times as needed during the exam period.

This course is $5,500, but discounts and financial assistance are available. Applications are available online, but you must have a bachelor’s degree or at least three years of related experience in a field such as medicine, nursing, physical therapy, health education, exercise physiology, psychotherapy, or nutrition.

The Dr. Sears Pregnancy Health Coach program is for those who want to work primarily with women during pregnancy and postpartum and teaches coaches how to help women eat right, reduce stress, and engage in exercise. This program is targeted at non-healthcare professionals, and you must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma to apply. 

Programs are self-paced and begin at scheduled dates throughout the year. Courses are available online, 24 hours a day. The site lists the next program start date, but you'll have to reach out to the company for future offerings.

Students use the interactive learning portal for videos, e-learning segments, and conference calls that connect students and instructors. 

The pregnancy health coach program is $945 and is accredited and approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine. 

The full-time Arizona State University (ASU) Online B.S. Health Sciences is a comprehensive degree with a focus on health coaching. It is designed as a full-time online program and includes 40 courses. ASU uses Canvas, an online learning management system, where you find lectures, audio materials, and active learning assignments.

The estimated cost is $16,238 per year for non-Arizona residents and $13,968 for residents. Like other degree programs, you can expect to complete it within four years. ASU offers rolling start dates, and you can apply online if you meet the prerequisites, including high school or community college coursework and a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

ASU is ranked in the top 10 for best online bachelor’s programs in 2023 by U.S. News & World Report, and they have graduated over 6,500 students from their Healthy Lifestyles Coaching program.

Note that this program requires many more prerequisites than others on our list and is the most expensive.

Precision Nutrition (PN) takes a science-based approach to nutrition and health coaching. Founded in 2005, the PN program gained momentum as a reputable health coaching certification. Upon completion, you will obtain a PN Coach Level 1 certificate and join a network of hundreds of thousands of health professionals. 

The program teaches how to coach clients throughout their health journey to make better choices about food and daily habits. PN is endorsed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

The coursework costs $119/month for 12 months, or you can pay a one-time fee of $999 if you enroll during a pre-sale. There are no prerequisites required to apply. 

The course is self-paced and usually takes four and a half months to complete. To receive your certification, you must earn 75% on each exam. Tests can be taken at any time, and there is no deadline to complete the program. Enrollment includes a supportive online community, an active Facebook group, and engaging and interactive online materials.

ACE is a leader in fitness and health certifications, accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and a good choice for those who want to further their career as a health coach. The program covers all aspects of health coaching, such as behavior change, coaching strategies, and motivating clients. 

Completely self-paced and online, students can complete the program in four to six months. All content, including exams, video lectures, video coaching sessions, quizzes, one practice test, and digital textbooks, is available through the ACE University platform. 

The Basic study program costs $1,299. The Plus program and Advantage program costs $1,649 and $2,299, respectively, but sales and promotions are often offered with monthly payment plans available. Plus and Advantage offer virtual learning support and additional online resources.

To sit for the certification exam, you must be at least 18 years of age, CPR certified, and have an NCCA-accredited certification or an associate's degree or higher in a related field. You are also eligible if you have a credential from a National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC), an accredited institution, or a minimum of two years of documented experience in health coaching. 

Health Coach Institute (HCI) is a great starting place to learn about the broader methods of coaching, plus specific skills to guide clients in their health journeys. The Dual Health and Life Coach Certification program is a thorough crash course in everything from nutrition to habit changing and business practices.

The dual certification program is completely online, and largely self-paced. However, some programs include live, online modules, and HCI offers frequent live events for its students and members to attend. You'll learn the fundamentals of coaching through four modules or "pillars": Holistic Nutrition for Coaches, Habit Change Coaching Method, Personal Growth (Life Coaching Certificate) and Proven Marketing and Simple Business Systems.

While it's self-paced, the dual-certification program is designed to take about six months to complete. Lessons are released weekly, but you'll have access to all of the course materials for a year from your start-date. The program also includes interactive skills labs, monthly live demos from HCI's founders, Stacey Morgenstern and Carey Peters, and — our favorite part — one-on-one coaching and mentorship with HCI coaches. You can anticipate spending about five to seven hours a week studying and practicing if you want to complete the course in six months.

After completing the ICF-accredited program, you'll receive a certificate of training completion as both a health and life coach, and the cost reflects that. The dual training program costs $5,450 when paid in full, or you can pay in seven $850 installments (for a total of ($5,950).

The National Society of Health Coaches (NSHC) was founded by two nurses and veterans of the health care industry who saw a need to change the dynamic between health care providers and patients who were getting labelled "non-compliant." They developed a program called Evidence-Based Health Coaching (EBHC), using methods from psychology and addiction treatment as well as their observations from the medical field to teach health care providers to focus on active listening, empathy and empowering patients in an effort to change their behaviors and health outcomes.

The program is designed for those in the health care industry, so it doesn't rehash basics that licensed professionals have already learned, but rather builds on them. With purchase of the self-paced course, you'll get the program's manual and access to webinars, training videos, audio recognition, articles, online skills practice, live practice webinars, and a quick reference guide. NSHC's website says the course typically takes 85 to 100 hours of study. The course costs $875, which includes one attempt to pass the certification exam. You can re-take the test for an additional $50.

It's important to note that only licensed professionals — such as nurses, registered or licensed dietitians, and licensed physical therapists (or licensed physical therapist assistants) — are eligible to become certified health coaches through the NSHC, because only licensed professionals are qualified to give treatment coaching and advice. But if you are not a licensed medical or health professional, you will get a certificate of completion. That qualifies you to use these skills for wellness coaching, which, according to NSHC includes "guidance and inspiration provided to otherwise “healthy” individuals who desire to maintain or improve their overall general health status, which often includes smoking cessation, increased physical activity, eating well, and general weight management."