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Studies & Degrees in Teacher Training for Audition and Language

Audition and language (Audición y Lenguaje, often shortened to AL) is a Spanish teaching speciality. AL teachers work in schools with pupils who have difficulties with speech, language, communication or hearing. Spanish law lists Audición y Lenguaje among the teaching specialities of the Cuerpo de Maestros, the corps of teachers for pre-school and primary education, next to specialities such as physical education, music and therapeutic pedagogy (Pedagogía Terapéutica).

Training combines general primary teaching with subjects on language and its disorders. At the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, for example, the Audición y Lenguaje mention of the primary education degree consists of four optional subjects: teaching intervention in hearing and language, psychopathology of hearing and language, alternative communication systems and the psychobiology of language. The neighbouring health profession is speech and language therapy (logopedia), which deals with problems of voice, hearing, speech and oral and written language.

Qualifications and levels

In Spain there is no separate bachelor's degree in audition and language. The route is the bachelor's degree for primary teachers with a specialisation, called a mention.

  • Bachelor's degree in primary education with the AL mention. The degree that qualifies for the regulated profession of primary teacher (Grado en Maestro en Educación Primaria, also called Magisterio) has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years. The ministerial order that regulates it allows universities to propose mentions of between 30 and 60 credits. Each university decides which mentions it offers and how many students it admits to each one.
  • Bachelor's degree in speech and language therapy. The Grado en Logopedia qualifies for the regulated profession of speech and language therapist (logopeda). At the Universitat de València it has 240 credits over four years.
  • Acquiring the speciality as a teacher. Royal Decree 1594/2011 lets teachers who already belong to the Cuerpo de Maestros acquire a further speciality if they hold one of the qualifications in its annex. For Audición y Lenguaje these include a primary teaching degree with a mention in Audición y Lenguaje and a degree that qualifies for the profession of logopeda.
  • Short courses. Private centres offer continuing training on language, communication and developmental disorders. These courses do not replace the teaching degree. Ask the centre what recognition its certificate has.

In the United States the school role closest to this speciality is the speech-language pathologist. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), speech-language pathologists typically need at least a master's degree, all states require a licence, and those who work in schools may also need a teaching certification.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists five active schools for this subject: four in Spain and one in the United States. The Spanish schools are the Universidad de Alcalá, the Universitat de València, the Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle in Madrid and Cinteco, a psychology centre in Madrid that runs training courses. The school in the United States, Accent Reduction Training Academy, is an online academy for accent reduction and does not train school teachers.

At the Universidad de Alcalá, the Grado en Magisterio de Educación Primaria is taught on the Guadalajara campus, lasts four years (240 ECTS credits) and completes its general training with specialised mentions. At the Universitat de València, the primary teaching degree has 240 credits and is taught in Spanish, Valencian, English and French; the university also offers the Grado en Logopedia. Mentions change from year to year, so confirm with each university that the Audición y Lenguaje mention is offered before you apply.

These degrees are taught mainly in Spanish, or in Spanish and the co-official language of the region, and school placements take place in local schools. Public universities charge per credit. The Universitat de València lists €12.79 per credit for first enrolment in the primary teaching degree and €18.00 per credit in the Grado en Logopedia.

Careers

Graduates with the AL mention work as primary teachers and as specialist support teachers in mainstream and special education schools. In public schools, a permanent post requires passing the competitive selection procedure for entry into the Cuerpo de Maestros. Under Royal Decree 1594/2011, teachers with the Audición y Lenguaje speciality may also teach the areas of the primary education speciality and may carry out attention-to-diversity duties in secondary education. Graduates in logopedia work mainly in health care, private practice and associations.

For the United States, the BLS counted 193,400 jobs for speech-language pathologists in 2025, 39 percent of them in educational services, and projects employment to grow 17 percent from 2025 to 2035. These figures do not apply to Spain.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a degree in Audición y Lenguaje in Spain?

Not as a separate degree. It is a mention within the bachelor's degree in primary education (240 ECTS credits, four years), and a teaching speciality of the Cuerpo de Maestros.

What is the difference between an AL teacher and a speech and language therapist?

The AL teacher is a school teacher with a specialisation and works within the education system. The speech and language therapist (logopeda) holds the Grado en Logopedia, a health sciences degree that qualifies for a regulated profession.

Are there entry requirements for the AL mention?

It depends on the university. The Universidad Complutense de Madrid sets no specific entry requirement for this mention, but only students selected for a mention can take its subjects.

Can international students work as AL teachers in Spain?

Primary teaching is a regulated profession in Spain, so a foreign teaching qualification must be officially recognised first. Ask the Spanish Ministry of Education about the procedure for your country and qualification.