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Studies & Degrees in Industrial Technical Engineering in Mechanics

Industrial Technical Engineering in Mechanics is the English rendering of Ingeniería Técnica Industrial, especialidad en Mecánica, a Spanish engineering title from before the European Higher Education Area. Today the route into the same profession is the bachelor's degree (grado) in Mechanical Engineering, the Grado en Ingeniería Mecánica. This page explains how that degree works and where it is taught.

The Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) describes mechanical engineering as a broad field that uses physical principles to analyse, design, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems. According to the Spanish order that sets the content of these degrees, students learn to calculate, design and test machines, and study thermal engineering, strength of materials, industrial structures, fluid machinery, materials engineering, manufacturing processes, metrology and quality control.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree (grado). Order CIN/351/2009 fixes the study plan at 240 ECTS credits: 60 of basic training, 60 common to the industrial branch, a block of 48 in the specific technology (here, mechanics) and a final degree project of 12. At the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) the degree takes four years.
  • Regulated profession. In Spain, Ingeniero Técnico Industrial (industrial technical engineer) is a regulated profession that requires the corresponding official grado. UMA marks its mechanical engineering degree as leading to a regulated profession, and ULL states that its degree qualifies graduates to practise it. According to the professional council COGITI, membership of a professional college is compulsory to practise.
  • Holders of the old title. Royal Decree 822/2021 states that official titles from before the current system keep all their academic and professional effects. Holders of an Ingeniero Técnico title who want a grado can ask the university for recognition of credits.
  • Master's and doctorate. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits and lead on to the doctorate.
  • Double degrees. Some schools combine mechanics with a second engineering degree. The Universidad de Huelva (UHU), for example, lists a double degree in Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

UMA states that its degree holds the EUR-ACE quality label for engineering programmes. Ask each school whether its label is current.

Admission

ULL asks future students for basic knowledge of physics, mathematics and technical drawing. Teaching is usually in Spanish: UMA lists Castilian as the language of its degree. Students with school qualifications from other education systems normally obtain an accreditation through UNEDasiss and then apply to each university within its own deadlines.

Engineers who already hold a foreign degree and want to practise in Spain need homologación, the official recognition of a foreign qualification as equivalent to the Spanish degree required for a regulated profession (Royal Decree 889/2022).

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 20 schools for this subject: 15 in Spain, 2 in Chile and 1 each in Denmark, the United States and Ecuador. In Spain the degree is taught at engineering schools of universities such as UMA (Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales), ULL, UHU and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, where it belongs to the ETS de Ingeniería y Diseño Industrial.

Outside Spain the directory includes the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral in Guayaquil, the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Valparaíso, VIA University College in Horsens and the University of Dayton. Degree names, length and professional rules differ in each country, so ask the school what its qualification allows you to do.

Careers

ULL lists the work its graduates are prepared for: designing and maintaining machines and industrial installations, taking responsibility for industrial structures and buildings, organising and managing production, running projects on mechanical equipment, energy installations and manufacturing processes, and carrying out certifications, verifications and expert reports.

For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 298,500 mechanical engineers in the United States in 2025 and projects employment to grow 11 per cent from 2025 to 2035. The largest employers are engineering services, machinery manufacturing and transportation equipment manufacturing. In the United States the usual entry qualification is a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still study Ingeniería Técnica Industrial en Mecánica in Spain?

The degree to look for today is the Grado en Ingeniería Mecánica, an official bachelor's degree of 240 ECTS credits that qualifies for the profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial.

How long does the degree take?

Four years at universities such as the Universidad de Málaga, for 240 ECTS credits including a final degree project.

Is my old Ingeniero Técnico Industrial title still valid?

Yes. Royal Decree 822/2021 states that official titles from the earlier system keep all their academic and, where applicable, professional effects.

Can I work as an engineer in Spain with a foreign degree?

For a regulated profession such as Ingeniero Técnico Industrial you need homologación of your degree by the Spanish ministry responsible for universities.