Studies & Degrees in Protocol
Protocol Study Programs
Protocol is the set of rules and customs that organise official and formal events: who presides, in what order authorities and guests are placed, how flags, anthems, invitations and forms of address are used, and how a ceremony runs from the arrival of the guests to the farewell. Today it is studied together with event management and institutional relations, because the same professionals plan state visits, university graduations, company conventions, award ceremonies and trade fairs.
In Spain the legal reference is Real Decreto 2099/1983, which sets the order of precedence of public offices and bodies at official acts. It divides official acts into general ones, organised by the Crown, the Government or the public administrations, and special ones, organised by particular institutions for events in their own field, and states that an act is presided over by the authority that organises it. Students learn these rules and how to apply them, alongside the history of protocol, institutional and business ceremonial, communication, public relations, event production, budgeting and languages.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degrees. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits. The Universidad Camilo José Cela (UCJC) lists a Grado en Protocolo y Organización de Eventos of four years and 240 ECTS credits, taught in Spanish; its page notes that the current plan is being phased out and replaced by a new degree with the same name. ISEMCO in Madrid offers that UCJC degree and also a distance degree of four academic years and 240 credits through CEDEU, a centre attached to the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
- School programmes. The Escuela Internacional de Protocolo y Eventos (EIP), with centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Granada and online teaching, runs a programme it calls Carrera Universitaria en Protocolo y Organización de Eventos. According to the school, after three years the student obtains the EIP's Título Superior en Organización de Eventos, Comunicación y Protocolo and can go directly into the final year of a bachelor's degree at a partner university in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark or the Netherlands.
- Master's degrees. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. ISEMCO lists, for example, a Máster Universitario en Dirección de Protocolo, Producción, Organización y Diseño de Eventos with the UCJC. Many other master's and expert courses are qualifications awarded by the school or university itself, so it is worth asking what recognition each one has.
- Vocational training. There is no higher vocational training (FP) qualification devoted only to protocol, but two 2,000-hour programmes include it. The Técnico Superior en Asistencia a la Dirección has modules on business protocol and the organisation of business events. The Técnico Superior en Agencias de Viajes y Gestión de Eventos has a module on protocol and public relations.
- Short courses. Etiquette and business protocol are also taught in short courses. The Percy Institute in Perth, Western Australia, for instance, gives masterclasses in etiquette and courses in business etiquette and protocol.
Where to study
SpainExchange lists 18 active schools for protocol: 17 in Spain and one in Australia. Most of the Spanish schools are in Madrid and its region, among them the EIP, ISEMCO, CEU FP Madrid, ESERP Business School and the Universidad Camilo José Cela. The list also includes universities in other regions, such as the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche, the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), the Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes in Valladolid, the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU in Barcelona and the Universidad de La Laguna on Tenerife, and distance-learning schools.
Teaching in Spain is in Spanish, and good spoken and written Spanish is essential, because the work involves drafting invitations and speeches and dealing with authorities. English is needed for international events. Applicants to vocational programmes need the Bachiller or an equivalent qualification, or another of the access routes set by the ministry; universities and private schools publish their own requirements.
Careers
Graduates work in the protocol and institutional relations offices of town halls, regional governments, ministries, universities and embassies, in the communication and events departments of companies, in agencies that organise congresses and events, in hotels and conference centres, and as freelance consultants. Spain's ministry lists event organiser among the jobs for the vocational qualification in travel agencies and event management.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes meeting, convention and event planners as professionals who arrange all aspects of events and professional gatherings. It states that they typically need a bachelor's degree and projects their employment to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official university degree in protocol in Spain?
Yes. Some universities teach a bachelor's degree (grado) in protocol and event management with 240 ECTS credits, such as the one listed by the Universidad Camilo José Cela. Other programmes are awarded by the school itself; ask each school what recognition its qualification has.
What is the difference between protocol and event management?
Protocol covers the rules of precedence, ceremonial and etiquette that apply to official and formal acts. Event management covers the planning, production and budget of any event. Degrees usually combine both.
Can I study protocol in vocational training?
Not as a separate qualification. The 2,000-hour higher vocational programmes in executive assistance and in travel agencies and event management include modules on protocol.