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Studies & Degrees in Technical Engineering in Industrial Electronics

Technical Engineering in Industrial Electronics is the English rendering of Ingeniería Técnica Industrial, especialidad en Electrónica Industrial, a Spanish engineering title from before the European Higher Education Area. Today the route into the same profession is a bachelor's degree (grado), usually called Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automática (Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering) or, at some universities, Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial.

The subject covers the electronics and control systems that run factories, machines and installations. The Spanish order that sets the content of these degrees lists analogue electronics, digital electronics and microprocessors, power electronics, electronic instrumentation, automatic control and its use in industrial automation, robotic systems, and industrial computing and communications. The Universidad de Málaga (UMA) sums it up as learning to design, manufacture and maintain electronic devices, from the simplest to the most advanced, and to design automation for homes and for industrial processes.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree (grado). Order CIN/351/2009 fixes the study plan at 240 ECTS credits: 60 of basic training, 60 common to the industrial branch, a block of 48 in the specific technology (here, industrial electronics) and a final degree project of 12. The degree takes four years at UMA and at the Universidad de La Rioja (UR).
  • Regulated profession. In Spain, Ingeniero Técnico Industrial (industrial technical engineer) is a regulated profession that requires the corresponding official grado. UR, UMA and the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) all state that their degrees qualify for it. According to the professional council COGITI, membership of a professional college is compulsory to practise.
  • Specialisations. Some degrees offer tracks. At UR students choose between Industrial Computing and Process Control, and Automation and Robotic Systems.
  • Holders of the old title. Royal Decree 822/2021 states that official titles from before the current system keep all their academic and, where applicable, professional effects. Holders of an Ingeniero Técnico title who want a grado can ask the university for recognition of credits.
  • Master's and doctorate. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits and lead on to the doctorate.

Admission

ULL asks new students for basic knowledge of physics, mathematics and technical drawing, and an interest in languages. Places can be limited: UR offers 25 places a year and UMA has 70 in its approved plan. UR teaches the degree on campus in Spanish. Students with school qualifications from other education systems normally obtain an accreditation through UNEDasiss and then apply to each university within its own deadlines.

Engineers who already hold a foreign degree and want to practise in Spain need homologación, the official recognition of a foreign qualification as equivalent to the Spanish degree required for a regulated profession (Royal Decree 889/2022).

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 10 schools for this subject, all of them in Spain. They include UR in Logroño, UMA in Málaga, ULL on Tenerife, the Universidad de Huelva, the Universidad de Vigo, the Universidad de Cantabria in Santander, the Universidad de Valladolid, the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, which teaches the degree at its ETS de Ingeniería y Diseño Industrial.

When comparing schools, look at the laboratories, the specialisation tracks, the company internships and the exact name of the degree, and confirm with the school that it qualifies for the regulated profession.

Careers

UR lists these outlets for its graduates: automation and robotisation of installations, processes and industrial plants; design and manufacture of electronic and automation equipment, instruments and systems; industrial networks that connect machines and devices; and the management of production, quality, safety and maintenance in industrial companies. ULL adds the development of control systems, robotic systems and analogue, digital and power electronic instruments.

For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 297,900 electrical and electronics engineers in the United States in 2025 and projects employment to grow 8 per cent from 2025 to 2035. They work in engineering services, research and development, and manufacturing.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ingeniería Técnica en Electrónica Industrial called today?

The current degree in Spain is the Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automática, or Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial at some universities. It has 240 ECTS credits.

How long does the degree take?

Four years, for example at the Universidad de La Rioja and the Universidad de Málaga.

Does the degree qualify me as an industrial technical engineer?

The universities of La Rioja, Málaga and La Laguna state that their degrees qualify for the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial. Confirm it with any other school.

Is my old Ingeniero Técnico Industrial title still valid?

Yes. Royal Decree 822/2021 states that official titles from the earlier system keep all their academic and, where applicable, professional effects.