Studies & Degrees in Product Development Engineering
Product development engineering covers the whole path of a manufactured product, from the first idea to the factory and the market: researching what users need, defining the concept, modelling and simulating it, building and testing prototypes, choosing materials and processes, and preparing the product for production. It is engineering work with a strong design component, because a product has to function, be manufacturable at a reasonable cost and be pleasant and safe to use.
Mondragon Unibertsitatea summarises the result of this training as mastering creative processes, manufacturing, and the design and development of products, as well as their commercialisation. The engineer becomes, in the university's words, the person responsible for proposing new products and carrying them through.
How the subject is taught in Spain
Spanish universities do not offer product development engineering as a separate bachelor's degree. It is one half of an official degree called Grado en Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto, which joins industrial design and product development in a single programme. The Universidad de Sevilla describes it as artistic subjects combined with industrial engineering content, covering the design, development, supervision and production of industrial products, technical objects, machines and equipment, with attention to production cost and to what consumers prefer.
Universidad Nebrija presents its version of the degree as a combination of creativity, technology, materials, prototyping and manufacturing. The first year there is made up of basic subjects such as mathematics, calculus, physics and graphic expression, together with analysis of form and colour.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degree (grado): 240 ECTS credits over four years, at 60 credits per year, with a final degree project.
- Double degrees: the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid lists a double degree that adds Ingeniería Mecánica (mechanical engineering) to the design and product development degree.
- Master's degree: official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
- Dual training: Mondragon Unibertsitatea runs the degree with company placements from the second year and a final degree project carried out in a company.
Where to study it
The directory lists 10 active schools for product development engineering: nine in Spain and one in the United States. The Spanish universities are the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Universidad Nebrija in the Madrid region, the Universidad de Sevilla, the Universidad de Cádiz, the Universidad de Zaragoza, the Universidade da Coruña, the Universidad de Extremadura, the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera in the Valencian Community and Mondragon Unibertsitatea in the Basque Country.
Teaching is mainly in Spanish. Universidad Nebrija and the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera give Spanish as the language of the degree; Mondragon Unibertsitatea teaches in Spanish, Basque and English. At the Universidad de Sevilla students must prove a B1 level in a foreign language before the degree certificate is issued.
Class sizes differ a great deal: the Universidad de Sevilla offers 100 places for 2026-27, Mondragon Unibertsitatea 70, the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera 60 on its Alfara campus and Universidad Nebrija 30. Workshops are a useful point of comparison; ask what prototyping equipment students can use and from which year.
Students with school qualifications from outside Spain normally apply through UNEDasiss, the UNED service that evaluates the academic records of international students and runs the tests needed for access to bachelor's degrees at Spanish universities. The universities set their own admission criteria, so consult them first.
Careers
According to the Universidad de Sevilla, graduates can work in practically every industrial sector, especially those that make industrial products, in design, project and research and development departments and in manufacturing and process engineering. The activities it lists follow the stages of product development:
- Use analysis, strategic analysis and product diagnosis
- Design management, innovation and product portfolio strategy
- Product modelling and simulation
- Prototype development and test planning
- Ergonomic design and ecodesign
- Optimisation and industrialisation of the product
The same university adds quality management, purchasing and supply, and technical sales departments. Mondragon Unibertsitatea names the automotive industry, consumer goods and machine tools among the sectors where its graduates work. Universidad Nebrija mentions employers ranging from industrial companies to agencies and consultancies that work on product concepts.
Frequently asked questions
Is product development engineering a separate degree in Spain?
No. It is taught within the Grado en Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto, a four-year degree of 240 ECTS credits that covers both industrial design and product development.
What does a product development engineer do?
The engineer takes a product from concept to production: analysing how it will be used, modelling and simulating it, building and testing prototypes, and preparing it for manufacture.
In which language is the degree taught?
Mainly in Spanish. Mondragon Unibertsitatea also uses Basque and English, and some universities require a B1 level in a foreign language to graduate.
How can an international student apply?
Students with school qualifications from outside Spain usually request an accreditation from UNEDasiss and then apply to the university, which sets its own admission criteria.