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Studies & Degrees in Technical Engineering in Telecommunication Systems

Telecommunication systems engineering deals with how information travels: the radio links, antennas, optical fibre, satellites and mobile networks that carry voice, images and data, and the signal processing that makes transmission possible. In Spain it is one of four technology branches of the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación (technical telecommunications engineer), together with telematics, electronic systems, and sound and image.

The words "ingeniería técnica" now describe the profession, not the name of a degree. Students reach it through a bachelor's degree (grado), usually called Grado en Ingeniería de Sistemas de Telecomunicación, or through a broader telecommunications degree with a specialisation in telecommunication systems.

What students learn

The content of these degrees is fixed by a ministerial order, Orden CIN/352/2009. Every qualifying degree has a block of 60 ECTS credits of basic training (mathematics, physics, programming, circuits and electronics, business), 60 credits common to the whole telecommunications branch, 48 credits in one specific technology and a final degree project of 12 credits.

In the telecommunication systems block, students learn to build, operate and manage telecommunications networks, services and applications from the point of view of transmission systems, and to analyse, encode, process and transmit multimedia information with analogue and digital signal processing. Telematics, the neighbouring branch, looks at the same networks from the point of view of telematic services.

University pages show what this means in practice. The Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) lists mobile communications, optical fibre, satellites, radiocommunications, radar and digital signal processing. The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) names the design, installation and maintenance of radiocommunication systems (radio links and wireless networks, satellite and mobile communications, broadcasting and television) and the design of antennas. The Universidad de Málaga (UMA) describes its degree as mainly practical, with an emphasis on transmission by radio or cable, and recommends a good grounding in mathematics and physics.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree (grado). Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits, taken over four years. UMA lists its degree as 240 ECTS in four years and as leading to a regulated profession.
  • How the specialisation is organised. At UPM the first two years are common to all the bachelor's degrees of its school of telecommunication systems engineering, and the specialisation comes in the third and fourth years. The Universidad de Granada offers a Grado en Ingeniería de Tecnologías de Telecomunicación with specialisations in telecommunication systems, telematics and electronic systems.
  • Master's degree. Ingeniero de Telecomunicación is a separate regulated profession that requires an official master's degree. UAH states that its bachelor's degree gives access to the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería de Telecomunicación. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
  • Quality labels. Some degrees hold the European EUR-ACE label for engineering programmes; UMA states that its degree does.

Before enrolling, check on the university's page that the degree qualifies for the profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación under Orden CIN/352/2009. The university page normally states it.

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 19 schools for this subject, all of them in Spain. They include public universities such as the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Universidad de Málaga, the Universidad de Alcalá and the Universidad de Granada, and private ones such as the Universitat Ramon Llull, whose La Salle campus in Barcelona teaches a Grado en Ingeniería de Sistemas de Telecomunicación.

Teaching is mostly in Spanish. UMA lists Spanish as the language of its degree, UAH lists Spanish and English, and La Salle lists Catalan, Spanish and English. Groups vary in size: UAH offers 75 places and La Salle 15.

Students with pre-university studies from another country normally apply with an accreditation from UNEDasiss, the service of the UNED that assesses foreign school records for the universities that use it. Admission itself is requested from each university within its own deadlines, so check the criteria that apply to your country of origin.

Careers

Graduates work on the networks and equipment that carry communications. UAH lists radiocommunications, mobile communications, cable and wireless networks, optical systems, radar, digital signal processing and audiovisual systems as fields of work. Typical employers are fixed and mobile telecommunications operators and broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, integration companies, independent engineering offices, consultancies and public administration.

Because the profession is regulated, the degree is the legal route into it in Spain. Graduates who want the profession of Ingeniero de Telecomunicación continue with the qualifying master's degree.

Frequently asked questions

Is "ingeniería técnica en sistemas de telecomunicación" still a degree in Spain?

Universities now offer it as a bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits. The term Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación remains as the name of the regulated profession for which these degrees qualify.

How long does the degree take?

Four years. The plan has 240 ECTS credits, including 48 credits of specific technology and a final degree project of 12 credits.

What is the difference between telecommunication systems and telematics?

Both share the basic and common telecommunications blocks. Telecommunication systems concentrates on transmission: radio, antennas, optical links and signal processing. Telematics concentrates on networks, protocols and the services that run on them.

Can I continue to a master's degree afterwards?

Yes. The profession of Ingeniero de Telecomunicación requires an official master's degree, and universities such as UAH state that the bachelor's degree gives access to the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería de Telecomunicación.