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Studies & Degrees in Automation Engineering

Automation engineering designs the systems that make machines and processes run by themselves: sensors that measure, controllers that decide and actuators that act. It combines control theory, electronics, industrial computing and robotics, and it is applied in factories, energy systems, vehicles and buildings.

In Spain the content is set out in the ministerial order that regulates the degrees giving access to the profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial (Orden CIN/351/2009). Its industrial electronics block requires knowledge of automatic regulation and control techniques and their application to industrial automation, of the principles and applications of robotic systems, and of the modelling and simulation of systems. The Automation and Control MSc at Newcastle University, in the United Kingdom, covers similar ground: controller design, industrial automation, PLC programming, robotics, and distributed and digital control systems.

Qualifications and levels

  • Vocational training (FP). The Spanish grado superior qualification Técnico Superior en Automatización y Robótica Industrial has 2,000 hours. Students learn to configure automatic installations and to write control programmes.
  • Bachelor's degree (grado). Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits under Royal Decree 822/2021, which means four years. The usual name is Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automática. At the Universidad de Zaragoza the Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica y Automática has 240 ECTS in 4 years, with 66 credits of electronics and automation subjects, and up to 6 optional credits can be used for a company internship.
  • Master's degree. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid offers the official master's degree in Automática y Robótica: 60 ECTS, taught on campus in Spanish, with a research orientation and 50 places for 2026-27.
  • Doctorate. The same Madrid programme leads on to a doctorate in automation and robotics.

One point deserves attention before enrolling in Spain. Some bachelor's degrees qualify graduates for the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial, and others do not. The Universidad de Zaragoza states that its degree does, in accordance with Orden CIN/351/2009. The Universidad de Málaga states that its Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica, Robótica y Mecatrónica is not linked to a regulated profession; that degree holds the EUR-ACE quality label.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 33 active schools for this subject, 23 of them in Spain. The United Kingdom has 2, and New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, China, Ireland, the United States, Chile and Germany have one each.

Examples in Spain:

  • Universidad de Oviedo: Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automática at the Escuela Politécnica de Ingeniería de Gijón, 240 ECTS in 4 years, taught in Spanish and English with a bilingual track. It has three specialisations: process control, electronics for energy efficiency, and robotics.
  • Universidad de Navarra: Grado en Ingeniería en Electrónica Industrial at Tecnun, in San Sebastián, an official degree of 240 ECTS in 4 years, taught in Spanish and English, with 90 places. The whole first year can be taken in English.
  • Universidad de Málaga: Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica, Robótica y Mecatrónica, 240 ECTS in 4 years, taught in Spanish and offered jointly with the Universidad de Sevilla.
  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid: Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automática at the ETS de Ingeniería y Diseño Industrial.
  • Universidad de Zaragoza: the degree is taught in Zaragoza and in Teruel.

Outside Spain, the list includes Newcastle University and the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom, VIA University College in Denmark, the Universität Duisburg-Essen in Germany and the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile.

Students with a foreign school-leaving qualification who want to start a bachelor's degree at a Spanish university generally apply through UNEDasiss, the accreditation service of the UNED. UNEDasiss advises applicants to ask the chosen university which admission criteria it applies to their studies and country of origin, and to prepare documents early, because they must be legalised and translated.

Careers

Automation engineers design and programme control systems, commission production lines, integrate robots and maintain automated plants. They work for manufacturers, engineering firms, system integrators and energy companies. Newcastle University presents its master's as preparation for a career as a design or development engineer.

For holders of the FP qualification, the Spanish Ministry of Education lists jobs such as commissioning technician for industrial automation systems, designer of control systems and programmer-controller of industrial robots, in the design, assembly and maintenance of industrial automation systems. This page gives no employment figures, because no official statistics for this specialisation were available from the sources consulted.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an automation engineering degree take in Spain?

Four years. Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits, and a master's degree adds 60, 90 or 120 ECTS.

Can I study automation engineering in English in Spain?

Partly. The Universidad de Oviedo offers a bilingual track in its degree, and at the Universidad de Navarra the first year can be taken entirely in English. Most teaching in Spain is in Spanish.

Does the degree let me work as a regulated engineer in Spain?

Only if the degree meets Orden CIN/351/2009, which gives access to the profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial. The Universidad de Zaragoza states this for its degree. Check it on the university's page before enrolling.

Is there a route without university?

Yes. The grado superior in Automatización y Robótica Industrial is a 2,000-hour vocational qualification in Spain.