Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in e-learning

E-learning is teaching and learning delivered through digital technology, usually over the internet, without teacher and student having to be in the same room. On SpainExchange the subject covers two things. One is the study of e-learning itself: how to design online courses, teach online and run virtual campuses. The other is the large group of schools whose own courses are taught online.

People who study e-learning as a subject learn instructional design (planning what a learner does, in which order and with which materials), online teaching and tutoring, online assessment, the technology behind learning platforms, and the management of e-learning projects. The field is also called educational technology or digital learning.

What counts as online study

Spain defines the modes of official university teaching by law. Royal Decree 822/2021 distinguishes face-to-face, hybrid (blended) and virtual teaching. A bachelor's degree counts as virtual when at least 80 percent of its ECTS credits are taught in that mode, and as hybrid when the virtual share lies between 40 and 60 percent. The decree describes virtual teaching as based on the intensive use of digital information and communication technologies. Other countries use other definitions, so always ask a school how much attendance a programme requires and whether exams are held online or in person.

Qualifications and levels

E-learning is mainly a postgraduate specialisation. Most students come from teaching, education studies, psychology, communication or computing.

  • Official master's degrees. In Spain these have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Universidad de Murcia offers the Máster en Tecnología Educativa: e-learning y Gestión del Conocimiento, an official interuniversity degree of 60 ECTS credits taught in virtual mode, in Spanish, over one year, with 20 new places. It is run together with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (the coordinator), the Universidad de las Islas Baleares and the Universitat de Lleida. It covers the management of virtual campuses and training services, and students design and develop training materials.
  • A fully online example. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) offers the Máster universitario en Educación y TIC (e-learning), an official degree of 60 ECTS credits taught 100% online in Spanish or Catalan. Its compulsory subjects include e-learning project design and management, foundations of instructional design, teaching and learning online, and the technological foundations of e-learning. Students choose between specialisations in online teaching, instructional design, and the direction and management of e-learning. The UOC states that the programme has run for 20 years.
  • Vocational trainer certificates. For trainers in Spain's vocational training for employment system, the reference qualification is the level 3 professional certificate Docencia de la formación profesional para el empleo.
  • Short courses and own qualifications. Business schools, foundations and training companies offer shorter programmes in online tutoring, course authoring or learning platforms. Ask the school what recognition the qualification has before enrolling.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 12 active schools under e-learning: 11 in Spain and one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Madrid, Barcelona and Murcia have the most entries. The list is mixed. It includes universities such as the Universidad de Murcia, the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad Camilo José Cela; foundations such as the Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER); and training companies such as Criteria, a consultancy in Barcelona whose services include e-learning platforms.

Because teaching is online, the city of the school matters less than three other points: the language of instruction (mostly Spanish in this list), the time zone of any live sessions, and whether the qualification is recognised in the country where you plan to use it. For an official Spanish master's degree you normally need a bachelor's degree or equivalent; students with foreign degrees should ask the university which documents it requires.

Careers

Graduates work in schools and universities, in company training departments, in publishing and content production, and in firms that build or run learning platforms. The UOC lists these roles for its master's degree, among others: teachers who want to integrate technology into their teaching, director of virtual learning projects, instructional designer, and designer of digital educational resources and environments. Related roles include online tutor, learning platform administrator and corporate training manager.

Frequently asked questions

Is an online degree from a Spanish university an official degree?

It can be. Spanish law allows official degrees to be taught in face-to-face, hybrid or virtual mode. What matters is whether the specific degree is official; the master's degrees of the Universidad de Murcia and the UOC described above are stated to be official by the universities.

How long does a master's in e-learning take?

The two official examples above have 60 ECTS credits. The Universidad de Murcia gives a duration of one year. Online students who work often spread the credits over a longer period.

Do I need a teaching degree to study e-learning?

Not necessarily. Programmes address teachers and also professionals from companies and public bodies. Each university sets its own admission requirements, so check them for the programme you want.

What is the difference between blended and online study?

In Spanish university rules, a bachelor's degree is hybrid (blended) when between 40 and 60 percent of its credits are taught virtually, and virtual when at least 80 percent are.