Social Work Schools and Programs in Spain

Social Work Studies in Spain

In Spain, social work is a university subject. Students take a four-year bachelor's degree (grado) in Social Work at a public or private university, and many go on to an official master's degree to specialise. Teaching is mainly in Spanish. The degree prepares students to work with individuals, families and communities in situations of social need, combining social sciences, social policy, law and intervention methods with supervised practice.

How the degree is organised

Royal Decree 822/2021, which regulates university education, sets the basic structure: bachelor's degrees of 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 credits, with 60 credits per academic year. The official title is the Grado en Trabajo Social (bachelor's degree in Social Work). A search of the ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) returns 44 bachelor's degree records for Social Work, some of them older versions that are being phased out. At the Universidad de Málaga, for example, the degree has 240 ECTS credits over four years and is taught on campus.

Degrees can include external placements (prácticas académicas externas), which the decree describes as a training activity carried out by students and supervised by the university. Universities also offer courses and programmes that lead to their own qualifications (títulos propios); these are not official degrees.

After the bachelor's degree, students can take an official master's degree (máster universitario). RUCT lists 14 master's records with "trabajo social" in the title, including some that have been discontinued. Current examples include:

• Master's in Social Work in Health Settings, run jointly by the Universidad de Alicante, the Universitat de Barcelona, the Universitat de Girona, the Universitat de Lleida, the Universidad de Murcia, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili and other universities
• Master's in Advanced Studies in Social Work at the Universidad de Málaga
• Master's in Community Social Work, Management and Evaluation of Social Services at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid
• Master's in Research and Intervention in Social Work at the Universidad de Huelva

There is also a related vocational route: the higher-level FP cycle Técnico Superior en Integración Social (Higher Technician in Social Integration) lasts 2,000 hours. It is a different qualification from the university degree.

Admission, language and costs

Students who completed secondary school outside Spain usually apply through UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' academic records and runs the tests needed to enter a bachelor's degree. Documents have to be legalised and translated in good time, and the application for admission is then made to each university within its own deadlines.

Places are limited: the Universidad de Alicante offers 160. Alicante teaches in Spanish, with some subjects in Valencian and English, and asks graduates to prove a foreign language at CEFR level B1.

Public universities charge per credit. At the Universidad de Alicante a credit costs €12.79 on first enrolment, so a full year of 60 credits costs around €770 for students who pay the standard fee; the university publishes separate fees for non-resident students from outside the EU. Private universities set their own prices.

Where to study Social Work in Spain

The subject is taught in almost every region. In the Madrid area, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has its Faculty of Social Work on the Somosaguas campus and states that it was the first social work faculty in Spain; the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas also offer the subject. In Catalonia there are the Universitat de Barcelona, the Universitat Ramon Llull, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, the Universitat de Lleida and the Universidad de Vic.

Other examples are the Universitat de València and the Universidad de Murcia in the east, the Universidad de Granada and the Universidad de Málaga in Andalusia, the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, the Universidad de Deusto in the Basque Country and the Universidad de La Laguna in the Canary Islands.

Recognition and professional practice

An official Spanish bachelor's degree is listed in RUCT and valid throughout the country. Social work is not among the regulated professions for which a foreign degree can be homologated: the Universidad de Málaga lists it as "not regulated" on its degree page. Holders of a foreign degree can instead apply for a declaración de equivalencia, which certifies the academic level. Applications are made only through the ministry's online portal (sede electrónica).

Social workers in Spain are organised in official professional associations (colegios oficiales) in each province or region, coordinated by the Consejo General del Trabajo Social. In September 2026 the Spanish Congress took a further step towards recognising health social work as a health profession, according to the Consejo General.

Careers

According to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, social workers are employed by international organisations, public administrations, universities, private companies (as employees or self-employed) and the third sector of associations and foundations.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Social Work degree take in Spain?

Four years. The official bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits, 60 per year, and an official master's degree adds 60 to 120 credits.

Do I need to speak Spanish to study Social Work in Spain?

Yes, in practice. Degrees are taught mainly in Spanish; some universities also teach a few subjects in English or a regional language.

How much does a Social Work degree cost at a public university?

Fees are set per credit. At the Universidad de Alicante a credit costs €12.79 on first enrolment, with separate fees for non-resident students from outside the EU.

Can I have my foreign Social Work degree recognised in Spain?

Social work is not on the list of regulated professions for homologación, so the usual route is a declaración de equivalencia from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, requested online.