Skip to content

Chemical Engineering Schools and Programs in Spain

30 schools in Spain teach Chemical Engineering.

Chemical Engineering

Saint Louis University’s undergraduate engineering and aviation degrees can be started on SLU's Madrid Campus before being transferred to Parks College in St. Louis to be completed. By studying for the first couple of years in Madrid, students get the opportunity to learn Spanish as a second language. Prior to starting an engineering degree, students can complete SLU-Madrid's Science and Engineering Preparation Year. This is a program of courses including physics, mathematics, English as a second language (ESL) and computer science and gives the student a foundation to work from. Chemical engineering is a dual-degree program, it is completed over five years: two years in Madrid, one year at SLU in St. Louis and two years at Washington University in St. Louis. Coursework is required in chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science and the arts. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from SLU and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington University, St. Louis.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Madrid

Chemical Engineering

Bircham University’s Chemical Engineering program examines chemical processes as linked to the functioning and plan of industrial plants. Combined chemical and management skills are needed for chemical engineers to create and operate chemical processes, efficiently manage operation plants and reach top performance of plants and refineries. Other topics of interest include food and drink technology, petrol-chemical reactions, plastic formation and biotechnology. Subjects covered on this course include: Thermodynamics, Transport & Fluid Mechanics, Chemical Process Systems, Chemical Process Dynamics & Control, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Polymer Science, Natural & Synthetic Fossil Fuels, Water & Air Quality, Energy Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Energy Pollution Control and Biochemical Engineering. The Chemical Engineering course is available at Specialist, Expert, Bachelor's, Master's & Ph.D. (Doctoral) Degree levels.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Villanueva de la Cañada

Chemical Engineering Studies in Spain

Chemical engineering applies chemistry, physics, mathematics and economics to the design and operation of processes that turn raw materials into useful products: fuels, plastics, medicines, food, fertilisers or clean water. Students learn mass and energy balances, transport phenomena, separation processes, reaction engineering and reactor design, process control and simulation, and increasingly sustainability and the energy transition.

How the degree is organised in Spain

The main qualification is the bachelor's degree (Grado en Ingeniería Química, or at some universities Grado en Ingeniería Química Industrial). Like other Spanish bachelor's degrees it has 240 ECTS credits, usually over four years, and can be followed by an official master's degree of 60, 90 or 120 credits and a doctorate.

Many of these degrees are designed to give access to the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial. The ministerial order that sets the requirements for those degrees (Orden CIN/351/2009) includes a Química Industrial specialisation covering mass and energy balances, separation operations, reaction engineering and reactor design. At the Universidad de Salamanca, for example, the Grado en Ingeniería Química qualifies graduates for this profession; its 2026 plan includes 6 ECTS of company placements, 9 ECTS of electives and a 12-ECTS final project.

After the degree, the RUCT lists 42 records for official master's degrees in chemical engineering, several of them run jointly by two or three universities, such as Autónoma de Madrid with Rey Juan Carlos, Cantabria with the Universidad del País Vasco, or Almería, Cádiz and Málaga together.

A shorter, practical alternative is vocational training: the Técnico Superior en Química Industrial is a 2,000-hour higher FP qualification for supervisory roles in chemical plants. At Salamanca, up to 30 ECTS of the degree can be recognised for studies at a higher FP centre.

Where to study chemical engineering in Spain

The Ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) returns 42 records for bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering, including some being phased out. Examples among the universities in our directory, all with the degree listed in the RUCT:

  • Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  • Catalonia: Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Ramon Llull and Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona)
  • Andalusia: Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad de Málaga and Universidad de Cádiz, and Universidad de Huelva with a degree in Ingeniería Química Industrial
  • Valencian Community and Murcia: Universidad de Alicante, Universitat Jaume I and Universidad de Murcia
  • North and northwest: Universidad de Oviedo, Universidad de Cantabria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad de Valladolid, Universidad de Salamanca and Universidad de Zaragoza
  • Other regions: Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, and the Ingeniería Química Industrial degrees at the Universidad de Extremadura and the Universidad de La Laguna

Teaching is mainly in Spanish (Salamanca's degree, for example, is taught in person in Spanish), and in Catalonia, Galicia, the Valencian Community and the Basque Country partly in the co-official language. Check the language of each programme before applying.

Admission and recognition

Students with a secondary school qualification from outside Spain usually apply to UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' records and runs the tests needed to enter Spanish bachelor's degrees. Places are limited: Salamanca offers 100 places for new students in 2026-27, and the last cut-off mark in 2025 was 5.590. Recommended secondary school subjects include Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Technical Drawing.

Holders of a foreign engineering degree who want to work as an Ingeniero Técnico Industrial in Spain need homologación, which gives access to a regulated profession; for an official master's or doctorate, a declaración de equivalencia, which certifies the academic level of the degree, is usually enough.

Careers

Chemical engineers design, run and improve processes in the chemical, energy, food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in environmental engineering, water treatment, quality control and process safety. Holders of the higher FP qualification work, for example, as supervisors of production areas, control rooms or oil and gas refineries.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study chemical engineering in Spain?

The bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits and usually takes four years. An official master's degree adds 60 to 120 credits.

Is chemical engineering a regulated profession in Spain?

Many chemical engineering degrees give access to the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial, whose requirements include a Química Industrial specialisation. Check the programme page: Salamanca's degree, for example, states that it qualifies for this profession.

What is the difference between Ingeniería Química and Ingeniería Química Industrial?

Both are bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering listed in the RUCT; the name varies between universities. Compare the study plans and check whether the degree qualifies for the Ingeniero Técnico Industrial profession.

Can I study chemical engineering in English in Spain?

Most degrees are taught in Spanish or a co-official language. Ask each university about subjects or groups taught in English before applying.