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Studies & Degrees in Technical Engineering in Industrial Design

Technical Engineering in Industrial Design is the English rendering of Ingeniería Técnica en Diseño Industrial, a Spanish engineering title from before the European Higher Education Area. The degree that covers this field today is the bachelor's degree (grado) in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering, the Grado en Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto.

The subject sits between engineering and design. The Universidad de Málaga (UMA) says its degree trains students to design products of any kind that combine technological and industrial performance with aesthetic, cultural, functional, environmental and quality requirements. To do that, students also study electricity, mechanics and electronics, because a design project has to work and has to be manufacturable.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree (grado). At UMA the degree has 240 ECTS credits over four years, is taught on campus at the Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales and has 75 first-year places in its approved plan. Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 credits as a rule.
  • Not a regulated profession at UMA. UMA states that this degree does not lead to a regulated profession. That is a difference with degrees such as mechanical or industrial electronics engineering, which follow the national order for the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico Industrial. If you need the professional powers of an industrial technical engineer, ask the university which of its degrees gives them.
  • Holders of the old title. Royal Decree 822/2021 states that official titles from before the current system keep all their academic and, where applicable, 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 give access to the doctorate.

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

Admission

Admission to an official grado follows the general Spanish university rules. Students with school qualifications from other education systems normally obtain an accreditation through UNEDasiss and then apply to each university within its own deadlines. UMA lists Castilian as the language of its degree, so a good level of Spanish is needed there; ask other universities about their languages of instruction.

Graduates with a foreign degree in this field who need it recognised in Spain can apply for a declaration of equivalence, the official recognition of the level of a foreign qualification regulated by Royal Decree 889/2022.

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 6 schools for this subject, all of them in Spain: the Universidad de Málaga, the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón de la Plana, the Universidad de Valladolid, the Universidad de Extremadura, the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio in Villanueva de la Cañada, near Madrid. The Universitat Jaume I lists the degree in its current offer under its Valencian name, Enginyeria en Disseny Industrial i Desenvolupament de Productes.

When comparing schools, look at the workshops and prototyping facilities, the weight of engineering subjects compared with design projects, the internships with companies, and whether the degree is an official grado.

Careers

Graduates work on the design and development of products in manufacturing companies, design studios and engineering firms. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes industrial designers as professionals who develop the concepts for manufactured products such as cars, home appliances and toys, combining art, business and engineering. It notes that they typically need a bachelor's degree and an electronic portfolio with examples of their projects, so start collecting your work during the degree.

The occupation is small. The same source counts about 35,400 industrial designers in the United States in 2025, a third of them in manufacturing, and projects employment to grow 2 per cent from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ingeniería Técnica en Diseño Industrial called today?

The current degree in Spain is the Grado en Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto, a bachelor's degree of 240 ECTS credits.

How long does the degree take?

Four years at the Universidad de Málaga, for 240 ECTS credits.

Does the degree make me an industrial technical engineer?

Not necessarily. The Universidad de Málaga states that its industrial design degree does not lead to a regulated profession, so check this point with each university.

Do I need a portfolio?

Employers expect one. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that industrial designers need an electronic portfolio with examples of their design projects.