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Studies & Degrees in Teacher Preparation

Teacher preparation, also called teacher training or teacher education, is the study that qualifies a person to teach in schools. In Spain the traditional name is Magisterio. Students learn how children and teenagers develop and learn, how to plan and assess lessons, how to teach each school subject, and how to work with pupils of different abilities and backgrounds. A large part of every programme takes place in real classrooms: supervised school placements are the core of the training.

Teaching is a regulated profession in most countries. That makes this subject different from most others: the degree matters, but so does the licence or status that the degree leads to, and that licence is national or even regional.

Qualifications and levels

The route depends on the country and on the age group you want to teach.

  • Spain, pre-primary and primary. Maestro en Educación Infantil and Maestro en Educación Primaria are regulated professions that require an official bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits. School placements (the Practicum) are compulsory and take place in recognised schools. Universities may offer specialisations (menciones) of 30 to 60 credits within the primary degree. As an example, Florida Universitària in Catarroja, a centre attached to the Universitat de València, teaches the Grado en Maestro/a en Educación Infantil: 240 ECTS credits over four years, on campus, with 80 places and 45 ECTS credits of school placements.
  • Spain, secondary. Secondary school, vocational training and language teachers first take a degree in their subject and then an official master's degree in teacher training of 60 ECTS credits. Applicants must show a foreign language at CEFR level B1 and mastery of their specialisation, through a university test unless their degree matches it. At least 80% of the credits, including the Practicum, are taught face to face.
  • England. Teachers in maintained primary, secondary and special schools need qualified teacher status (QTS), obtained through undergraduate or postgraduate initial teacher training. Many postgraduate courses also award a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), which can carry up to 60 credits at master's level, but a PGCE is not required to be a qualified teacher.
  • United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), kindergarten and elementary school teachers usually need a bachelor's degree, and public school teachers also need a state-issued certification or licence. Graduates in another subject can complete a teacher education programme to obtain certification. Many states require high school teachers to have majored in a content area such as mathematics or science.

Admission

For a bachelor's degree in teaching, the general university entrance rules of the country apply. Postgraduate routes ask for a first degree. In England, trainees need a bachelor's degree in any subject and GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths, plus science for primary teaching; applicants with qualifications from outside the UK must show that they meet the same standard. Programmes are taught in the language of the school system, so a high level of that language is expected. In Spain, students should reach level C1 in Spanish by the end of the primary teaching degree, and B1 in a foreign language.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 95 active schools for teacher preparation: 59 in the United States, 13 in Spain, six in the United Kingdom, three in Argentina and two each in Australia, Canada and Germany, with single schools in several other countries. In Spain the list includes public universities such as the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the online Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and attached centres such as Florida Universitària.

Because the qualification is tied to a national licence, choose the country where you want to teach before you choose the school. Then check three things: that the programme leads to the official teaching qualification of that country, how many weeks or credits of school placement it includes, and which age group and specialisations it covers.

Careers and recognition abroad

Most graduates work as teachers in public or private schools. Others move into educational guidance, school management, adult education or the design of teaching materials. In the United States, the BLS projects little or no change in the employment of kindergarten and elementary school teachers from 2025 to 2035, with about 99,400 openings a year, and about 63,500 openings a year for high school teachers, mostly to replace teachers who leave the occupation.

A teaching qualification does not transfer automatically. In the United States, requirements vary by state. In England, a teacher who qualified outside the UK can teach for up to four years without QTS and needs it afterwards in many schools. Anyone who plans to train in one country and teach in another should ask the education authority of the destination country how the qualification is recognised.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a teacher in Spain?

Pre-primary and primary teachers take a four-year bachelor's degree of 240 ECTS credits. Secondary teachers take a degree in their subject followed by a 60-credit official master's degree in teacher training.

Do I need a PGCE to teach in England?

No. You need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in maintained schools. A PGCE is an additional academic qualification that many training courses include.

Can I teach abroad with my teaching degree?

It depends on the country. Teaching is regulated nationally, and in the United States by state, so the destination country decides whether your qualification is recognised and what else you need.

Is school practice part of the degree?

Yes. Spanish teaching degrees include a compulsory Practicum in recognised schools, training in England mostly involves school placements, and US programmes typically include student teaching with a mentor teacher.