Tourism Management Schools and Programs in Spain

Tourism Management Studies in Spain

Tourism management covers how destinations, hotels, travel companies and events are planned, run and marketed. Students learn economics and management applied to tourism, marketing and distribution, hotel and accommodation management, tourism law, heritage and destination planning, and foreign languages, which are a core part of the training in a sector that works with international customers.

In Spain the subject is taught at three levels: the university bachelor's degree in Tourism (Grado en Turismo), official and school-own master's programmes, and higher vocational training (FP) in the Hospitality and Tourism family.

How tourism degrees are organised

The Grado en Turismo follows the general rule for Spanish bachelor's degrees: 240 ECTS credits over four years. It belongs to the Social and Legal Sciences branch. At the Universidad de Sevilla, for example, the degree has 240 credits over four years, uses Spanish, English, German and French as teaching languages, and offered 178 external placement places in the latest year it reports. Some universities offer related degrees in hotel management or international tourism business, or teach tourism in English: the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has degrees in Tourism, Tourism in English and Hotel Management.

The national register of degrees (RUCT) gives an idea of the size of the offer. A search for "turismo" returns 65 bachelor's records and 74 master's records, including renewed programmes. Official master's degrees (máster universitario) cover areas such as tourism planning and management, tourism business management and cultural heritage tourism; they usually have 60 to 120 credits. Business schools and university foundations also run master's programmes that are their own qualifications (títulos propios), which are not official degrees.

Higher vocational training is a practical alternative. The Hospitality and Tourism family includes the higher qualifications Técnico Superior en Gestión de Alojamientos Turísticos (accommodation management), Técnico Superior en Agencias de Viajes y Gestión de Eventos (travel agencies and events) and Técnico Superior en Guía, Información y Asistencias Turísticas (tourist guiding and information).

Where to study tourism management in Spain

In our directory, Barcelona has by far the most schools for this subject, with single schools in cities such as Seville, Cádiz, Granada, Murcia, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Valladolid, Santander and Badajoz, and around Madrid. Some examples:

• CETT, Barcelona: a school of tourism, hospitality and gastronomy with 55 years of history; it offers vocational training cycles, eight bachelor's degrees awarding a Universitat de Barcelona qualification, master's programmes and international short programmes, and has its own university hotel, Hotel Alimara
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: Tourism and Hotel Management studies on the Bellaterra campus, and an official master's in tourism management of cultural heritage
• Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad de Cádiz, Universidad Camilo José Cela and IE Universidad: Grado en Turismo listed in RUCT
• Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad de Extremadura and Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, among other universities with tourism programmes
• Business schools and online providers, such as ESADE and FUNIBER in Barcelona or The Open Faculty in Murcia

Teaching is mostly in Spanish, with some courses or full degrees in English. Because the sector depends on international visitors, most programmes include several foreign languages.

Admission, fees and recognition

Students with a secondary school qualification from outside Spain usually apply for UNEDasiss accreditation first, and then apply to each university within its own deadlines. At public universities, fees are set per credit by each region: the Universidad de Sevilla lists €12.62 per credit for the Grado en Turismo, and from the second year a 99% bonus on the credits passed the year before. Private universities and schools set their own prices.

Non-EU students staying more than 90 days need a study visa; the Spanish consulate in London, for example, asks for proof of financial means of at least 100% of the IPREM. Holders of a foreign degree who need it recognised in Spain can apply for a declaration of equivalence, which certifies the academic level of the qualification (bachelor's or master's).

Careers

Graduates work in hotel and accommodation management, travel agencies and tour operators, destination management and tourism promotion, events and conferences, transport companies, tourism consulting and public tourism administrations.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a tourism degree in Spain?

Four years. The Grado en Turismo has 240 ECTS credits, like most Spanish bachelor's degrees.

Can I study tourism in English in Spain?

Yes, at some universities. The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona offers a degree in Tourism in English, and many programmes teach part of the course in English and other foreign languages.

Is there a shorter alternative to a university degree?

Yes. Higher vocational training (FP) offers qualifications in accommodation management, travel agencies and events, and tourist guiding and information.

Are private master's programmes in tourism official degrees?

Not always. Only programmes listed in RUCT as máster universitario are official; many business school masters are the school's own qualification.