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Industrial Engineering Schools and Programs in Spain

33 schools in Spain teach Industrial Engineering.

Industrial Engineering

In today's multifaceted and competitive world, industrial engineers are more and more urged to design, improve and use integrated systems of materials, equipment, people and energy. Bircham University’s Industrial Engineering program employs fundamental principles from the engineering sciences to competently design and analyse vast industrial systems both in the manufacturing and service sectors. Bircham University’s Industrial Engineering program is also known as Systems Engineering. Subjects covered on this course include: Systems Analysis & Design, Systems Implementation, Production Strategy, Manufacturing Systems Integration, Supply Chain Management, Engineering Systems Simulation, Occupational Safety & Health, Innovation Management, Environmental Health, Technological Management, Human Resources Management, Management Information Systems, Management Information Technology, Automation Management, Process Improvement Management, Operations Management, Total Quality Management & Industrial & Systems Engineering. The Industrial Engineering course is available at Specialist, Expert, Bachelor's, Master's & Ph.D. (Doctoral) Degree program levels.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Villanueva de la Cañada

Industrial Engineering Studies in Spain

In Spain, industrial engineer (ingeniero industrial) is a regulated profession. To practise it you need the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Industrial, which students normally reach after a bachelor's degree in the industrial branch, such as the Grado en Ingeniería en Tecnologías Industriales. That bachelor's degree on its own qualifies for a different regulated profession: industrial technical engineer (ingeniero técnico industrial).

The Spanish degree is broad and technical. It covers mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering, industrial chemistry, structures and business organisation, and prepares graduates to design, calculate and manage products, processes, installations and industrial plants. Students used to industrial engineering as operations management, as often taught in the Americas, should expect a stronger engineering core.

How the degrees are organised

  • Bachelor's degree (grado, four years, 240 ECTS credits). Under Orden CIN/351/2009, the degrees that qualify for the profession of industrial technical engineer have 240 credits: 60 of basic training, 60 common to the industrial branch, a complete 48-credit block in one specific technology (mechanical, electrical, industrial electronics, industrial chemistry or textile) and a 12-credit final project. The Grado en Ingeniería en Tecnologías Industriales is the most general degree in the branch.
  • Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Industrial. This is the degree that qualifies for the profession of industrial engineer. Under Orden CIN/311/2009, the bachelor's and master's degrees together must add up to at least 300 credits, the master's may not exceed 120 credits, and it ends with a master's thesis of 6 to 30 credits. The master's at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), for example, has 90 ECTS credits and is taught on the Leganés campus.
  • Doctorate. Open to students who have completed 300 credits across the bachelor's and master's levels.

Graduates of other bachelor's degrees can also be admitted to the master's, but the university may require bridging courses (complementos de formación) first.

Admission and language

For a bachelor's degree, students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply for an accreditation from UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' academic records and runs subject tests. They then apply to each university within its own deadlines.

For the master's degree, a bachelor's degree from outside the European Higher Education Area does not need official recognition (homologación) first: the university checks that it is equivalent to a Spanish grado and that it gives access to postgraduate study in the country that issued it.

Most programmes, including the UC3M master's, are taught in Spanish. There are partial exceptions: at Tecnun, the engineering school of the Universidad de Navarra in San Sebastián, the bachelor's degree is taught in Spanish and English, and the first year can be taken entirely in English.

Where to study industrial engineering in Spain

The national register of official degrees (RUCT) lists dozens of bachelor's degrees in Tecnologías Industriales and of master's degrees in Ingeniería Industrial, at public and private universities. Some examples among the schools on this page:

  • Madrid: the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, which teaches the qualifying master's; Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and Universidad Pontificia Comillas, with both bachelor's and master's degrees; and the private universities Antonio de Nebrija and Alfonso X el Sabio, with the master's.
  • Catalonia and the Valencia region: the Universitat Ramon Llull, with bachelor's and master's degrees; the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, with the master's; and the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Universitat Jaume I and the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche.
  • Northern Spain: the universities of Oviedo, Cantabria, Valladolid, León, Vigo and A Coruña, the Universidad de Deusto and the Universidad del País Vasco.
  • The south, Murcia and the Canary Islands: the universities of Seville, Málaga, Huelva and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena.

Recognition of the qualification

Official degrees appear in the RUCT, where the exact name of the bachelor's or master's degree and the awarding university can be checked. Because industrial engineer is a regulated profession, holders of a foreign degree who want to practise it in Spain need homologación; a declaration of equivalence (declaración de equivalencia) only certifies the academic level (bachelor's or master's). Both procedures are governed by Real Decreto 889/2022. Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland can instead apply for professional recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC.

Careers

According to UC3M, the work of an industrial engineer ranges from the design and calculation of products, processes, installations and plants to research and innovation, as well as the management of industrial projects. Graduates work in manufacturing, energy, the automotive industry, building services, consulting and public administration, which has a state corps of industrial engineers (cuerpo de ingenieros industriales del Estado). Professional associations such as the Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Industriales de Madrid (COIIM) bring together engineers and students and offer training.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an industrial technical engineer and an industrial engineer in Spain?

They are two different regulated professions. The 240-credit bachelor's degree in the industrial branch qualifies for industrial technical engineer; industrial engineer also requires the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería Industrial.

How long does it take to become an industrial engineer in Spain?

Usually four years of bachelor's study plus one to two years of master's study: together they must add up to at least 300 credits, and the master's can have up to 120.

Can I enter the master's with an engineering degree from my country?

Yes, if the university confirms that your degree is equivalent to a Spanish bachelor's degree and gives access to postgraduate study in your country; it does not need to be recognised first. The university may ask for bridging courses.