Earn your Ph.D. Doctorate Degree in Health Coaching or Lifestyle Medicine which is the highest post-secondary education degree awarded and accepted worldwide. As an earned research degree, students studying for a Ph.D. are required to produce original research that expands the knowledge in the Health Coaching field through a dissertation and then defend their work against experts in the field.
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The Ph.D. Doctorate Degree program is geared toward practicing health coaches, nutritionists, dietitians, nurses, medical doctors, and other traditional and complementary healthcare professionals wanting to earn an advanced award. It has been especially designed for working health professionals wanting to demonstrate leadership and expertise in their area of work and make contributions to the development of Health Coaching and Lifestyle Medicine.
The award requires both evidence of competence at an advanced practical level, significant research, and the completion of a dissertation to demonstrate that students have created new knowledge through the findings of their original research, through applying a theory in a way that hasn’t been done before or using a new method or a pre-existing method in a new way.
After completion of a Ph.D., graduates will be well equipped to start highly paid employments, be self-employed or start a career as a health care provider, university professor, researcher, or scientist in a variety of settings.
The Lifestyle Prescriptions® University is the first university exclusively dedicated to certificate and degree programs in Root-Cause Health Coaching, Lifestyle Medicine and Lifestyle Prescriptions® habit change techniques. Through our comprehensive competency-based long-distance learning approach we’re preparing students academically and professionally for a successful career.
Lifestyle Prescriptions® University aims to inspire, empower, and prepare health professionals to play a vital role in health care and build successful practices.
Our passionate faculty members are committed to helping students achieve their goals, live their passion, and enable them to make a difference in their career and life.
Lifestyle Medicine research shows that up to 80% of chronic, non-communicable symptoms can be reversed through comprehensive lifestyle modifications which include nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management and social support. ¹
Health Coaching is the use of evidence-based skillful conversation, clinical interventions, and strategies to actively and safely engage client/patients in health behavior change. ²
What makes Health Coaching so attractive is the ability to work with clients worldwide via online video conferencing and other means.
Health Coaching is a promising field and the growing trends in the public and private sectors towards better health are increasing the demand for qualified health coaching professionals with health coaches playing a bigger role in health care and being added to clinics, doctor’s offices, health centers, and businesses.
Health Coaching demand is projected to grow by 10-15% annually, Payscale.com lists the average income of health coaches between US-$32,367 and US-$68,670 and higher
Internationally, one of the largest areas of growth is in the workplace because of tax incentives for employers to provide health and wellness benefits to their employees. Since 2008, more than two-thirds of U.S. employers have or intend to add general wellness programs led by health coaches.
Disclaimer: It’s important to note, that while Lifestyle Prescriptions® University will assist with your job search, naturally we can make no guarantees, expressed, or implied of future employment. Current law prohibits any school from guaranteeing job placement as an inducement to enroll students.
“It’s like finding the needle in the haystack and knowing how to take it out.”
Root-Cause Health Coaching is based on Organ-Mind-Brain Anatomy and allows practitioners to be extremely precise in their root-cause analysis and therefore radically increase auto-regulation and health outcomes. ³
Lifestyle Prescriptions® University graduates use evidence-based “integrative” techniques, protocols, and skills allowing them to go beyond the traditional health coaching paradigm. Some of these key elements are:
- Organ-Mind-Brain Anatomy & Physiology
- 10-Step Root-Cause Analysis Process
- The 6 Root-Causes of all symptoms
- The 9 Points & Phases of Auto-Regulation
- Root-Cause Health Coaching techniques & skills to address all 6 lifestyle areas
The Lifestyle Prescriptions® Wheel is used daily by graduates to educate, empower and coach clients to quickly elicit the specific stress triggers, emotions, beliefs & lifestyle habits that affect specific organ tissue symptoms and therefore increase auto-regulation and homeostasis.
Evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine and Health Coaching protocols are used by practitioners to help clients establish conscious and unconscious healthy habits.
Doctorate degree applicants can specialize and select a research and dissertation subject either focused on health coaching or lifestyle medicine. Depending on their pre-qualifications and degree program specialization the following degrees will be awarded:
- Ph.D. Doctorate in Health Coaching
This path is available for all health professionals - Ph.D. Doctorate in Lifestyle Medicine
This path is open for licensed health professionals across allopathic and complementary practices such as MD, DO, NP, CNM, CNS, CRNS, PA, PharmD, DDS, DMD, DC, RN with at least 5 years of practical experience.
Upon completion of the Ph.D. in Health Coaching degree program, graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate an in-depth; advanced academic and practical knowledge of the Bio-Psycho-Social Connection, the Art and Science of Self-Healing, root-cause-based Health Coaching, and Lifestyle Medicine principles and protocols.
- Formulate effective solutions to complex, real-world problems common to our field.
- Design rigorous research that expands the professional body of knowledge.
- Synthesize Health Coaching theory and research focused on lifestyle, physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of health and longevity.
- Produce independent scholarly research utilizing basic and advanced research methods.
- Research and dissertations are practice-oriented and geared toward finding solutions to practical problems and designing better practices in the field.
- Establish yourself as a global expert in Health Coaching and lifestyle medicine in their field of practice and help move the field forward through their unique expertise and qualifications.
- Engage in professional activities and teaching related to Health Coaching, Lifestyle Medicine, and social change.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply results of evidence-based research in health care, corporate, and government settings and therefore encourage improvements in health outcomes, longevity, and quality of life.
The Ph.D. Doctorate Degree Program includes courses, graduate coursework, research, and writing a dissertation.
- 501 PHD-ETHICS Ethics in Healthcare Course
- 502 PHD-REMETH Research Methods for the Social Sciences
- 503 PHD-GRANTS Grant Writing
- 504 PHD-DISSWOR Dissertation Workshop
- 505 PHD-OMBAN4 Organ-Mind-Brain Anatomy IV (Research)
- 506 PHD-PRACT3 Ph.D. Health Coaching Residency & Practicum
- 507 PHD-REPILO Research Pilot Project
- 508 PHD-DISSER Dissertation Research, Writing & Defending
Ph.D. students are required to complete a practicum and write a dissertation that significantly advances the knowledge in the field. The specific Health Coaching or Lifestyle Medicine related topic of the dissertation is chosen by the student in consultation with the professor.
The student’s professional doctorate dissertation must focus on applying research to practical problems, formulating solutions to complex issues, and designing effective professional practices within the fields of Health Coaching and Lifestyle Medicine.
The Dissertation Process
The student is required to identify a real-world problem within the fields of Health Care, Health Coaching, and Lifestyle Medicine and research it thoroughly with the intent of uncovering new understandings that can eventually lead to new solutions. Completing the study takes multiple steps, which may include:
- Creating a proposal that describes the problem student want to solve, the design of the study, and the methodology used.
- Orally defending the proposal to the committee.
- Collecting data, researching, and writing findings.
- The final step is orally defending the findings to the committee.
The dissertation must demonstrate an understanding of the theory, content, and methods in that topic area and must conform to standard international accepted university guidelines.
Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program applicants must complete the following:
- A completed Master’s degree program
- Completion of the foundational LPU Master’s degree courses
- Copy of a government-issued ID
- A short essay detailing how the Ph.D. degree will support a student’s career
- Schedule and complete a live video interview with LPU doctorate degree faculty
- A non-refundable application fee of US-$97
Don’t have a Master’s Degree yet? Then talk to us about our Ph.D. Doctorate Fast-Track Program which includes the Masters and Ph.D. degree programs.
Credit Transfer
Students may apply to use previous research and academic experience credits towards the LPU Health Coaching Ph.D. degree program. A maximum of 20% of transfer credits is accepted.
Lifestyle Prescriptions® University reserves the right to accept or reject academic credits submitted for transfer and students may be required to complete the equivalent Lifestyle Prescriptions® University course final exam to show competency.
If a transfer of credit is denied the student may appeal in writing to the program director with reasons why course credit should be granted.
Graduation Requirements
The Doctorate of Health Coaching degree is conferred upon candidates who have completed all required academic and graduation requirements and satisfied all financial obligations.
To graduate, students must have successfully completed these requirements to be eligible for graduation:
- Complete all coursework with a grade point of 70% and higher.
- Submit and defend an acceptable dissertation
- A maximum of five years for completion of all coursework and dissertation.
Talk to your admissions specialist to get started.
Start the application evaluation process and learn about our Ph.D. Degree Fast-Track Program, tuition, and previous study and work experience credits including financial aid, sponsorship, and payment options.
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