Studies & Degrees in Institutional Relations
Institutional Relations Study Programs
Institutional relations is the work of managing an organisation's relationships with public authorities, other institutions, business associations, the media and civil society. Depending on the employer it goes under other names: public affairs, corporate and institutional communication, government relations, lobbying or protocol. It is rarely a degree with that exact title. Students usually reach it through a degree in protocol and event organisation, communication or public relations, and then specialise.
Programmes combine several strands: communication strategy and media relations, reputation management, how public institutions work, official and corporate protocol, and the organisation of public acts. The Universidad Camilo José Cela (UCJC), for example, lists among the competences of its bachelor's degree in protocol and event organisation an understanding of the diplomatic environment and of international organisations, and the use of negotiation techniques in events where consensus shapes the public image of institutions and companies.
Qualifications and levels
All the schools listed for this subject are in Spain, so the Spanish framework applies. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and official master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Next to them, universities award their own lifelong-learning qualifications, such as the Máster de Formación Permanente (60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits), which Spanish rules require them to keep expressly apart from official degrees.
- Official bachelor's degrees. UCJC lists a Grado en Protocolo y Organización de Eventos of four years and 240 ECTS credits, taught in Spanish; the page consulted describes a study plan that is being phased out and refers to a new version of the degree. IMEP in Alicante, a centre attached to the Universidad Miguel Hernández, offers an official four-year bachelor's degree in event organisation, protocol and institutional relations.
- Official master's degrees. IMEP also offers a one-year official master's degree in event organisation, protocol and institutional relations.
- Lifelong-learning master's programmes. The Máster en Comunicación Corporativa e Institucional of the Escuela Unidad Editorial (ESUE) in Madrid has 60 ECTS credits and is organised with the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the law firm Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo. Graduates receive a máster en formación permanente awarded by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. One of its six modules is devoted to institutional relations and public affairs. The listed price for the edition starting in autumn 2026 is €9,500.
- A school's own programme with a foreign degree. The Escuela Internacional de Protocolo y Eventos (EIP) teaches a programme of three years in Spain with an optional fourth year abroad. The school states that these studies are different from the official Spanish grado, and that students who take the final year at a partner university obtain a bachelor's degree with honours recognised in that country.
Admission depends on the level. IMEP lists the Spanish Bachillerato with the university entrance exam, the International Baccalaureate or a higher vocational training (FP) qualification for its bachelor's degree. For its master's programme, ESUE asks for an official Spanish university degree or an equivalent international one, followed by a current affairs test, a short practical exercise and an interview.
Where to study
SpainExchange lists 6 active schools for institutional relations, all in Spain. Three are in the city of Madrid: CEU FP Madrid, ESUE and EIP, which also has campuses in Barcelona and Valencia. UCJC is in the Madrid region, the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU is in Barcelona and the Universidad Miguel Hernández is in Elche.
Teaching is mainly in Spanish, and much of the content is tied to Spanish and European institutions. Some programmes include English: the UCJC study plan, for instance, has a first-year course in English grammar and conversation. International students should ask each school what level of Spanish it expects and what recognition its qualification has, in Spain and at home.
Careers
Graduates work in the communication and institutional relations departments of companies, in public administrations, in consultancies and public relations agencies, in business associations and in protocol offices. ESUE names lobbying and institutional relations, advising companies and organisations on their strategic positioning, among the destinations of its master's graduates. EIP mentions the post of director of protocol and ceremonial in public and private institutions.
The closest occupation in United States statistics is public relations specialists, who in government may be called press secretaries. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics they held about 314,500 jobs in 2025, 11 percent of them in government, and typically need a bachelor's degree. Employment is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,000 openings a year.
Frequently asked questions
Is institutional relations a degree in its own right?
Rarely. It is usually part of a degree in protocol and event organisation, communication or public relations, or a module or specialisation within a master's programme in corporate and institutional communication.
Are these programmes official degrees in Spain?
Some are and some are not: a Máster de Formación Permanente is a university's own lifelong-learning qualification, not an official master's degree. Ask each school which kind of qualification it awards.
What do I need to enter a master's programme?
Normally a university degree. ESUE, for example, asks for an official Spanish university degree or an equivalent international one, a motivation letter, a test and an interview.
In which language are the programmes taught?
Mainly in Spanish. Check the language of instruction and the Spanish level required with each school before applying.