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Primary Education Schools and Programs in Spain

Bachelor's Degree in Pre-Primary Education or in Primary Education

At UIC Barcelona's Faculty of Education we have a dual obligation. We tutor future educators, which is why we work twice as hard to meet the demands of the teaching profession. The status of teacher deserves recognition; something UIC strives to encourage. We enrich the profession's standing from inside the classroom, making sure students receive a sound pedagogical, methodological and human education. Students can access more than 2.100 centres accredited for work placements by the Catalan Government’s Department of Teaching. They can also do placements in both private national and international schools. Studies will include robotics, gamification or flipped classrooms. Students can take part in seminars, workshops and study groups, amongst other activities. Study first aid at the Faculty of Medicine in UIC’s simulation laboratories. Focus studies on a specific area such as Physical Education with classes taught at CEM La Mar Bella.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: Catalan, English, Spanish  
Location: Barcelona

Bachelor's Degree in Primary Education

Our children are our future. Enriching their development and providing them with on-going education is more than a responsibility. At UIC Barcelona University, this is our driving principle: work today to enrich tomorrow. We will coach you to develop into a professional with human skills that transforms and enriches society. With a sympathy towards and passion for working with children and an ability for self-criticism, flexibility and conveying culture. The Bachelor's Degree in Primary Education focuses on education during the years 6 to 12 of a child's life. After graduation you might decide to either enter the wonderful world of work (in Spain teachers must hold this official qualification) or complete a master's degree (in any EHEA country (European Higher Education Area)) and subsequently start your doctoral thesis.
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors  
Language of instruction: Catalan, English, Spanish  
Location: Barcelona

Study Primary Education in Spain

  • Casa Steiner Tenerife

    ARAFO

    Casa Steiner Tenerife is a centre for Waldorf-Steiner education in Tenerife. Its main activity is a Waldorf-Steiner kindergarten (jardín de infancia), open Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 13.30, with lunch care from 13.30 to 14.30. The kindergarten follows the Waldorf-Steiner…

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Primary Education Studies in Spain

Primary Education in Spain covers six school years, normally between the ages of 6 and 12, and it is compulsory. To teach at this level you need a specific university degree: the bachelor's degree in Primary Education (grado en Educación Primaria, also called Maestro en Educación Primaria), which qualifies graduates for the regulated profession of primary school teacher. This page explains how that degree works and where to take it, and adds a short note for families looking for a primary school.

How the teaching degree is organised

The requirements are set nationally by Orden ECI/3857/2007 for degrees that qualify for the profession of Maestro en Educación Primaria. The degree has 240 ECTS credits over four years, in line with Royal Decree 822/2021. It includes a teaching placement (Practicum) in primary schools that have an agreement with the university, and universities may offer specialisations (menciones) of 30 to 60 credits linked to the areas of primary education, such as foreign languages, physical education or music.

Language matters: by the end of the degree, students should have reached level C1 in Spanish (and, where relevant, in the region's other official language) and be able to communicate in a foreign language at level B1. At the Universidad de Granada, for example, the degree is taught in Spanish, with a bilingual Spanish-English option, over 4 years (8 semesters). Demand is high: according to the university, it offered 490 places in 2023-24 and received 4,686 applications, with an entry mark of 9.253.

Where to study Primary Education in Spain

The degree appears in the Ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) under two names: a search for "Maestro en Educación Primaria" returns 18 records and one for "Graduado o Graduada en Educación Primaria" 54, including older curricula. Madrid and Barcelona have the most schools in our directory, followed by Marbella and Seville. Examples with an official degree in RUCT:

  • Madrid region: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Internacional Villanueva, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
  • Catalonia: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
  • Valencia and Murcia: Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, Universidad de Alicante and Universidad de Murcia
  • Andalusia: Universidad de Granada and Universidad de Sevilla
  • Other regions: Universidad de Valladolid, Universidad Católica de Ávila, Universidad de La Rioja, Universidade da Coruña, Universidad de Vigo and Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
  • Distance learning: Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

The Universidad San Jorge registers its degree as Educación Primaria - Primary Education. In Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Galicia and the Basque Country, teaching and school placements also involve the co-official language.

Admission and recognition

Students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply for an accreditation from UNEDasiss, which assesses international students' records and runs the tests needed to enter Spanish bachelor's degrees; they then apply to each university within its deadlines. Teacher of primary education is a regulated profession, so a teacher trained abroad who wants to work in Spain needs homologación of the foreign degree, which gives access to a regulated profession; a declaración de equivalencia only certifies the academic level. Likewise, a Spanish degree will usually need recognition in your home country before you can teach there.

Costs and visa

The autonomous communities set the fees for official degrees at public universities; private universities set their own. Students from outside the EU who will study for more than 90 days need a student visa, with proof of means equal to 100% of the IPREM (€600 per month of study in 2026, according to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and health insurance with no co-payments or waiting periods.

For families: primary schools in Spain

Children must start primary school in the calendar year in which they turn six. Pupils arriving from another country's school system join the course that fits their circumstances, knowledge, age and school record. Besides Spanish public and private schools, our directory lists international schools that teach primary-age children, for example King's College - The British School of Madrid, which follows the English National Curriculum, and the American School of Valencia, which also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a primary teacher in Spain?

The bachelor's degree in Primary Education takes four years and 240 ECTS credits, including a teaching placement in primary schools.

What level of Spanish do I need?

The national requirements state that graduates should reach level C1 in Spanish and B1 in a foreign language by the end of the degree.

Can I study Primary Education in English in Spain?

Some universities offer a bilingual option, such as the Universidad de Granada (Spanish and English), but the degree is mainly taught in Spanish.

Can I teach in Spain with a teaching degree from another country?

You need to apply for homologación of your degree, because primary teaching is a regulated profession in Spain.