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Studies & Degrees in Technical Engineering in Agronomy

Technical engineering in agronomy (ingeniería técnica agrícola) is the Spanish engineering qualification for people who design, manage and advise on farms, crops, livestock units, irrigation, rural buildings and food industries. In Spain, Ingeniero Técnico Agrícola is a regulated profession. According to Order CIN/323/2009, published in the official state gazette (BOE), practising it requires the corresponding official bachelor's degree (grado).

The subject name comes from the pre-Bologna system. Under the current system students do not enrol in a degree called Ingeniería Técnica Agrícola: they take a grado whose study plan meets the requirements of that Order, and the grado gives access to the profession. The name of the degree differs from one university to another, which can confuse applicants from abroad.

What students learn

The Order fixes the structure of every qualifying degree. The study plan has 240 ECTS credits, divided into four blocks:

  • basic training, 60 credits: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, drawing, computing and business
  • a block common to the agricultural branch, 60 credits, including plant and animal production, machinery, hydraulics, surveying and project work
  • one complete block of specific technology, 48 credits
  • a final degree project of 12 credits

There are four areas of specific technology, and each one corresponds to a professional specialisation:

  • Explotaciones Agropecuarias (crop and livestock farms)
  • Hortofruticultura y Jardinería (fruit, vegetables, gardens and landscape)
  • Industrias Agrarias y Alimentarias (agricultural and food industries)
  • Mecanización y Construcciones Rurales (mechanisation and rural construction)

Practical work matters. The Universidad de León, for example, has a 16-hectare farm for practical classes.

Qualifications and levels

Bachelor's degree (grado). Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 credits under Royal Decree 822/2021, which normally means four years. The Order requires that the name of the degree makes it easy to identify the profession, but does not impose a single name. The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the Universidad de Huelva call it Grado en Ingeniería Agrícola, the Universidad de León Grado en Ingeniería Agraria, and the Universidad de La Laguna Grado en Ingeniería Agrícola y del Medio Rural. Universities do not always offer all four specific technologies. Huelva has itineraries in Explotaciones Agropecuarias and in Hortofruticultura y Jardinería; León offers three mentions (rural, agri-environmental and agri-food engineering).

Master's degree. The next level is a different regulated profession, Ingeniero Agrónomo. Order CIN/325/2009 reserves it for holders of a qualifying official master's degree, and the total length of bachelor's and master's training may not be less than 300 ECTS credits.

Holders of the old title. Schools publish their own procedures for those who hold a pre-Bologna technical engineering title and want the grado; the engineering school of the Universidad de Huelva lists an adaptation route from technical engineer to grado.

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 12 schools for this subject, all in Spain. They are spread across the country: the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Universidad de León, the Universidad de La Rioja in Logroño, the Universidad Católica de Ávila, the Universidad de Vigo, the Universidad de Extremadura in Badajoz with its affiliated centre in Almendralejo, the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche, the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón de la Plana, the Universidad de Huelva, the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha and the Universidad de La Laguna on Tenerife.

Teaching is in Spanish. León lists Castellano as the language of its degree, which is taught face to face and has 50 places. La Laguna also describes its degree as official, with 240 ECTS, four years and face-to-face teaching.

Students with a foreign school-leaving qualification usually apply through UNEDasiss, the service of the UNED that assesses the academic records of international students and runs the tests needed for access to bachelor's degrees at Spanish universities. UNEDasiss warns that documents have to be legalised and translated, so it is wise to start early and to ask the chosen university about its admission criteria.

When comparing universities, look at which specific technologies or mentions are offered, the farms and laboratories available for practical work, and the local farming sector, which shapes internships and final projects.

Careers

Graduates can register with one of the official colleges of agricultural technical engineers, which are grouped in a national general council. The Universidad de León lists these outlets for its graduates:

  • the profession of Ingeniero Técnico Agrícola, with its own professional powers
  • the corps of agricultural technical engineers in the public administrations, entered by competitive examination
  • agricultural engineering consultancy, drafting of projects and site management
  • management and technical assistance on farms

The Universidad de La Laguna adds technical advice, research and development of crops, design of agricultural infrastructure and evaluation of product quality.

Frequently asked questions

Does the degree Ingeniería Técnica Agrícola still exist in Spain?

The profession exists and is regulated, but it is now reached through an official grado of 240 ECTS credits that meets Order CIN/323/2009. The degree has names such as Ingeniería Agrícola, Ingeniería Agraria or Ingeniería Agrícola y del Medio Rural.

How long does it take?

Four years: 240 ECTS credits, including a final degree project of 12 credits.

What is the difference between Ingeniero Técnico Agrícola and Ingeniero Agrónomo?

They are two regulated professions. The first requires a qualifying grado. The second requires a qualifying official master's degree, with at least 300 ECTS credits of bachelor's and master's training in total.

Can I study it in English?

The degrees are taught in Spanish, so international students need a good command of the language.