Electrical Engineering Schools and Programs in Spain

Electrical Engineering Studies in Spain

In Spain, electrical engineering is taught mainly as the Grado en Ingeniería Eléctrica, a four-year bachelor's degree of 240 ECTS credits. It is one of the specialisations of the industrial branch of engineering: under Orden CIN/351/2009, a degree of this kind qualifies graduates for the regulated profession of industrial technical engineer (ingeniero técnico industrial), in the speciality of electricity.

The degree covers the generation, transmission and use of electrical energy: electrical machines, power lines, high-voltage installations, power systems, power plants and renewable energy. Electronics and automation have their own degrees (such as Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automática), so a Spanish "electrical engineering" degree is closer to what other countries call electrical power engineering.

How the degrees are organised

• Bachelor's degree (grado, four years, 240 ECTS credits). Orden CIN/351/2009 sets 60 credits of basic training, 60 common to the industrial branch, a complete 48-credit block in one specific technology and a 12-credit final project. In the electrical block, students learn to calculate and design electrical machines, power lines and the transport of electrical energy, and to design power plants, with applied knowledge of renewable energy.
• Master's degree. Graduates can take a specialised master's degree or the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Industrial, which qualifies for the profession of industrial engineer. Under Orden CIN/311/2009, the bachelor's and master's degrees together must add up to at least 300 credits, and that master's may not exceed 120 credits. The Universidad de Jaén, for example, states that its electrical engineering graduates have access to it.
• Doctorate. Open after completing 300 credits across the bachelor's and master's levels.

Specialised official master's degrees include the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Eléctrica at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Conversión de Energía Eléctrica y Sistemas de Potencia at the Universidad de Oviedo, Sistemas de Energía Eléctrica at the Universidad de Sevilla, Ingeniería en Movilidad Eléctrica at the Universitat Politècnica de València, and a master's in smart grids and distributed generation at the Universidad del País Vasco.

Admission and language

For a bachelor's degree, students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply for an accreditation from UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' records and runs subject tests. They then apply to each university within its own deadlines; in Andalusia, places are allocated centrally through the Distrito Único Andaluz. For a master's degree, a bachelor's degree from outside the European Higher Education Area does not need official recognition first: the university checks that it is equivalent to a Spanish grado.

Most degrees are taught in Spanish. Some include English: the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) lists its degree, taught at the Escuela Politécnica Superior on the Leganés campus, as bilingual and Spanish, and the Universidad de León lists Spanish and English for its degree, which has 45 places.

Where to study electrical engineering in Spain

The national register of official degrees (RUCT) lists bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering at public and private universities across the country. Examples among the schools on this page:

• Madrid: the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and UC3M, whose degree includes a dual option with some subjects taken at partner companies such as Red Eléctrica.
• Valencia region and Catalonia: the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona.
• Andalusia: the universities of Cádiz, Huelva and Seville, and the Universidad de Jaén, which teaches the degree at the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Linares and holds the EUR-ACE quality label for it.
• Northern and central Spain: the universities of Oviedo, León, A Coruña, Vigo, La Rioja, Zaragoza, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, and the Universidad del País Vasco.

Recognition of the qualification

Official degrees appear in the RUCT. Because industrial technical engineer is a regulated profession, a holder of a foreign degree who wants to practise it in Spain needs homologación; a declaration of equivalence only certifies the academic level. Both procedures are governed by Real Decreto 889/2022. Citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland can instead apply for professional recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC.

Careers

According to UC3M, graduates work on projects for high- and low-voltage electrical installations, the management and maintenance of electrical infrastructure, the design of electrical machines and power plants (especially those using renewable sources) and the control of power systems. The companies where its students do work placements include Iberdrola España, Hitachi Energy Spain, Elecnor and Patentes Talgo, which gives an idea of the range: utilities, equipment makers, engineering firms and rail.

Frequently asked questions

Is electrical engineering a regulated profession in Spain?

Yes. A bachelor's degree that follows Orden CIN/351/2009 with the electrical block qualifies for the regulated profession of industrial technical engineer, speciality electricity. Universities such as UC3M and the Universidad de Jaén state this on their degree pages.

How long does an electrical engineering degree take in Spain?

The bachelor's degree takes four years (240 ECTS credits). A master's degree adds one to two years.

Can I study electrical engineering in English in Spain?

Usually not in full. Teaching is mainly in Spanish, but UC3M lists its degree as bilingual and the Universidad de León lists Spanish and English.

Do I need to have my foreign engineering degree recognised?

To practise as an industrial technical engineer in Spain, yes: you need homologación, or professional recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC if you are from the EU, EEA or Switzerland. To start a master's degree, the university checks your degree instead.