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Civil Engineering Schools and Programs in Spain

30 schools in Spain teach Civil Engineering.

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering students complete their first two years of study in Madrid and then transfer to St. Louis for a further two years. Saint Louis University's undergraduate major in civil engineering program primes students to practice their skills in the real world by employing project-based, hands-on training systems. As well as this major there’s also an enhanced Bachelor of Science to Master of Science option. The civil engineering program provides a solid base of coursework in engineering sciences, including graphics, fluid sciences, mechanics of solids, vibrations and electronics. Students can then choose to specialise in areas such as smart transportation, smart structures, structural design and analysis and green engineering.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Madrid

Civil Engineering

Bircham University’s Civil Engineering program represents a valuable source of the principles and techniques required to design and manage all kinds of civil structures like highways, bridges, airports, etc. The program includes innovations to construction, materials and equipment. This course may be combined or completed with other courses from this faculty. Subjects covered on this course include: Foundation Engineering, Surveying Materials Science, Land Use Planning, Architectural Structures, Concrete Design & Construction, Steel Design & Construction, Wood Design & Construction, Building Technology, Construction Management, Environmental Impact, Urban Design Implementation, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering and Civil Engineering. The Civil Engineering program is available at Specialist, Expert, Bachelor's, Master's & Ph.D. (Doctoral) Degree program levels.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Villanueva de la Cañada

Civil Engineering Studies in Spain

Civil engineering in Spain has two regulated professional levels. A four-year bachelor's degree in civil engineering (usually Grado en Ingeniería Civil) qualifies for the profession of technical engineer of public works (ingeniero técnico de obras públicas), under Orden CIN/307/2009. The senior profession, ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos (literally "engineer of roads, canals and ports"), requires the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, under Orden CIN/309/2009.

The profession covers the advice, analysis, design, calculation, construction, maintenance and operation of public works: roads and railways, bridges and structures, water and hydraulic works, ports and coastal works, and urban services.

How the degrees are organised

  • Bachelor's degree (grado, four years, 240 ECTS credits). Orden CIN/307/2009 sets 60 credits of basic training, 60 common to the civil branch, a complete 48-credit block in one specific technology and a 12-credit final project. The three technologies are civil construction (construcciones civiles), hydrology (hidrología), and transport and urban services (transportes y servicios urbanos).
  • Máster Universitario en Ingeniería de Caminos, Canales y Puertos. Under Orden CIN/309/2009, the bachelor's and master's degrees together must add up to at least 300 credits; the master's may not exceed 120 credits and ends with a master's thesis of 6 to 30 credits. Holders of any other bachelor's degree can be admitted, but may need bridging courses.
  • Doctorate. Open after completing 300 credits across the bachelor's and master's levels.

Some schools combine both levels. The Escuela de Caminos of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona offers a sequential programme (Programa Académico de Recorrido Sucesivo, PARS) in which students take the bachelor's and the master's one after the other; its master's qualifies for the profession, and the school also offers three Erasmus Mundus master's degrees taught jointly with foreign universities.

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, and then apply to each university within its deadlines. 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. Teaching is mainly in Spanish (and in Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country, partly in the regional language), so a good command of Spanish is the practical requirement for most programmes.

Where to study civil engineering in Spain

The national register of official degrees (RUCT) lists 22 records for the master's in Ingeniería de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, and bachelor's degrees in civil engineering at universities across the country. Examples among the schools on this page:

  • Barcelona: the UPC and its Escuela de Caminos, with the bachelor's degree, the PARS and the qualifying master's.
  • Madrid region: the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Grado en Ingeniería Civil y Territorial and the master's), the Universidad Europea de Madrid and the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio, both with bachelor's and master's degrees.
  • Northern Spain: the universities of A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Oviedo, Cantabria and Zaragoza, and the Universidad del País Vasco.
  • Centre, south and east: the universities of Salamanca, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Seville, Cádiz, Jaén and Granada, the Universidad de Alicante (master's), the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena and the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Recognition of the qualification

Official degrees appear in the RUCT. Both professions are regulated, so holders of a foreign degree who want to practise in Spain need homologación; a declaration of equivalence only certifies the academic level (bachelor's or master's). 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

Graduates design, build and maintain infrastructure: roads, railways and urban transport, water supply and sanitation, hydraulic works, ports and coastal works, and structures. They work for construction companies, engineering consultancies, infrastructure operators and public administration. The master's is needed to sign projects as an ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ingeniero técnico de obras públicas and ingeniero de caminos?

They are two regulated professions. The bachelor's degree under Orden CIN/307/2009 qualifies for ingeniero técnico de obras públicas; ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos also requires the master's under Orden CIN/309/2009.

How long does it take to become a civil engineer in Spain?

Four years for the bachelor's degree. To become an ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos, the bachelor's and master's must total at least 300 ECTS credits, usually five or six years in all.

Can I enter the master's with a civil engineering degree from my country?

Yes, if the university confirms that your degree is equivalent to a Spanish bachelor's degree; no prior homologación is needed. The university may ask for bridging courses.