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Criminology Schools and Programs in Spain

Criminology

Bircham University’s Criminology program describes and analyses all aspects of criminology including, methods, crime patterns, causes and theory development, as well as crimes in the contemporary world and reactions to criminal behaviour. The program provides students with a better understanding of the central problems defining modern criminology to allow them to have their own deductions and evaluations. It evaluates the principles of an effective criminal investigation including all facets related to equipment, technology and procedures. It also explains investigation techniques and the methods of identifying and processing physical evidence. Subjects covered on this course include: Criminology, Criminal Justice, Organized Crime, Delinquency & Violence, Fraud & Corporate Crime, Drug Addictions, Crime Victims, Fire & Arson Investigation, Criminal Behaviour, Crime Law and Prevention, Terrorism, Cyberspace Law, Criminal Investigation & Crime Scene & Evidence. The Criminology course is available at Specialist, Expert, Bachelor's, Master's & Ph.D. (Doctoral) Degree levels.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: English  
Location: Villanueva de la Cañada

University Master's Degree in Cybercrime – Official

There is a growing need for training in the area of cybercrime. Over recent years, society has changed at a remarkable pace and those working on the investigation, prevention and prosecution of crime need to be entirely familiar with the latest technological settings. The ways people now live involve a mixture of real and virtual situations that cannot be separated. To a greater or lesser extent, all involves the digital world. The risks of cyber victimisation have increased at individual, community and workplace levels. In fact, via Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), there is an enormous diversity in the nature of injuries that can be caused to people or property; from threats, disclosure of secrets, libel, harassment, slander or sexual harassment to all types of fraud, via breaches of privacy or identity theft.
Level: Doctorate  
Language of instruction: Catalan, English, Spanish  
Location: Barcelona

University Master's in Legal, Forensic and Criminological Psychopathology – Official

Currently, there is a growing educational need in the area of Legal, Forensic and Criminological Psychopathology among experts related to Mental Health. Everyone who either works in the field of legal medicine or must intervene, as specialists, in the forensic field and deal with different psycho-pathological problems requires distinctive theoretical and practical understanding of this type of material. The advantage of greater strengthening and specialisation in terms of addressing the existing gaps in education, in such a way that those who intervene function with assumed control in the legal-juridical level in the forensic area can be apparent. With this goal in mind, the notion is to complement the specific technical, scientific or scholastic specialisations of the various experts, in a way that they comprehend the problems that they must intervene from a comprehensive perspective.
Level: Graduate  
Language of instruction: Catalan, English, Spanish  
Location: Barcelona

Specialist Diploma in Criminal Profiling, Psychopathology of Violent Offenders and Predicting the Risk of Violence

This Specialist Diploma in Criminal Profiling, Psychopathology of Violent Offenders and Predicting the Risk of Violence meets the increasing need for more in-depth and practical training for professionals who interact with violent offenders, whether within the structure of criminal prosecutions, enforcement of sentences or even post sentence. To meet the challenges of preventing and treating violent crime, practical knowledge must be applied and skills obtained in the sphere of legal, criminal and forensic psychology. Both the professionals in charge for drawing up the corresponding experts’ reports and those in the legal, institutional and care-giving sectors require updated knowledge regarding forensic psychopathology and psychological profiling of violent offenders and special training in analysis of the affiliation between mental illness and/or personality disorders and the origin, persistence or recurrence of serious and/or serial offences. Furthermore, the highly multifaceted nature of criminal and penitentiary cases, specifically in the area of serial serious offences, makes it even more crucial to acquire more specialist knowledge.
Level: Professional Development  
Language of instruction: Catalan, English, Spanish  
Location: Barcelona

Study Criminology in Spain

  • ADEIT - Fundación Universidad - Empresa de la Universitat de València

    Valencia, Spain

    Fundación ADEIT is a foundation linked to the Universitat de València (UV) that connects the university with the business world. It is based at Plaza de la Virgen de la Paz 3 in Valencia, with a second venue, Espai Vives, on Avenida Blasco Ibáñez. The foundation is governed…

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Criminology Studies in Spain

Criminology studies crime, offenders, victims and the way society and the criminal justice system respond to them. It is an interdisciplinary subject: a Spanish bachelor's degree combines criminology with criminal law, psychology, sociology, legal medicine and research methods. In Spain it is taught as an officially recognised bachelor's degree (grado) and as a master's degree, at public and private universities in almost every region, and also by distance learning.

How the degree is organised

Royal Decree 822/2021 sets the structure of Spanish university education: bachelor's degrees of 240 ECTS credits, master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 credits, and the doctorate. A bachelor's degree in Criminology therefore takes four years of 60 credits each. At the Universidad de Salamanca, for example, the degree lasts 4 years and is organised in one-semester courses; the university also offers a double degree in Law and Criminology.

Courses usually come from several fields. At the Universidad de Murcia, the curriculum includes criminology subjects (introduction to criminology, juvenile delinquency, victimology), law (criminal law, prison law), psychology (criminal psychology, psychological profiling in criminal investigation) and other areas such as legal and forensic medicine and forensic investigation. Final-year work placements can take place in prisons, with the national police and security forces, in the media or in schools.

Some universities give the degree a different name, such as Criminología y Seguridad (Criminology and Security). To check whether a programme is officially recognised, search the Ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT): a search for bachelor's degrees in criminology returns 45 records, including some degrees that are being phased out. A university's own qualifications (títulos propios) do not appear in RUCT.

Where to study Criminology in Spain

Madrid and Barcelona have the most schools, but the offer is spread across the country. Some examples, all with an official bachelor's degree listed in RUCT:

  • Andalusia: Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Sevilla and Universidad de Cádiz (Criminology and Security)
  • Region of Murcia: Universidad de Murcia and Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM)
  • Valencian Community: Universidad de Alicante
  • Castile and León: Universidad de Salamanca (joint degree with the Universidad de Valladolid) and Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes
  • Madrid: Universidad Europea de Madrid and Universidad Camilo José Cela (Criminology and Security)
  • Catalonia: Universitat de Barcelona and Universitat Abat Oliba CEU (Criminology and Security)
  • Basque Country: Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
  • Castilla-La Mancha: Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
  • Distance learning: Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla

The usual language of instruction is Spanish. In Catalonia and the Basque Country some courses are taught in Catalan or Basque, so check the curriculum before applying. At the Universidad de Murcia, for example, the degree is taught on campus in Spanish, with 55 places for new students. The Universidad Europea de Madrid lists its degree in RUCT under the English name Bachelor in Criminology as well.

For specialisation after the bachelor's degree there are officially recognised master's degrees, such as Ciencias Criminológicas y Seguridad at the Universidad de Granada, Criminología y Delincuencia at the Universidad de Murcia, Criminología y Delincuencia Juvenil at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Intervención Criminológica y Victimológica at the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche and Criminología Aplicada at the Universitat de Barcelona.

Admission for international students

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 the specific subject tests. They then apply for a place at each university within its own deadlines; UNEDasiss reminds applicants to submit the admission application on time even if the accreditation has not yet been issued. Admission criteria depend on the university, the previous studies and the country of origin. Public universities publish a cut-off mark (nota de corte); in Murcia it was 9.634 for the 2025-26 academic year.

The Universidad de Salamanca sets no special entrance tests for the degree and recommends an interest in the social sciences and basic English to read scientific texts.

Recognition of the qualification

For holders of a foreign degree, Royal Decree 889/2022 sets out three procedures: homologación, which gives access to a regulated profession in Spain; declaración de equivalencia, which certifies the academic level (bachelor's or master's); and convalidación, which allows a student to continue university studies in Spain. If you plan to return home with a Spanish degree, check how your own country recognises it.

Careers

The Universidad de Salamanca describes several career profiles: officer in the public police and security forces, civil servant in prison administration and in the justice system, and public and private security adviser, carrying out studies on crime and prevention plans. Other common paths are victim support, social reintegration and research. Joining the police or the prison service also requires passing each body's own selection process.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a bachelor's degree in Criminology in Spain?

Four years and 240 ECTS credits, the general length of Spanish bachelor's degrees under Royal Decree 822/2021. This is the case, for example, at the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad de Murcia.

How can I tell whether a Criminology degree is officially recognised?

Look it up in the Ministry's RUCT register. Official degrees are listed there with their university; a university's own qualifications are not.

How do international students get into the degree?

Most apply for an UNEDasiss accreditation, which assesses their school record and, where needed, tests them in specific subjects. With it they apply to the universities of their choice, within each university's deadlines.

Can I study Criminology online in Spain?

Yes. Some distance-learning universities offer an official bachelor's degree in Criminology listed in RUCT, such as the Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla.