Music Schools and Programs in Spain

Music Studies in Spain

Spain has two separate routes for studying music at higher level. Performers, composers and conductors usually train at a conservatorio superior, inside the system of artistic education. Universities teach music mainly as an academic subject: musicology, music history and, more recently, music production and composition. Choosing between them depends on whether you want to perform or to study and work around music.

Conservatories: the artistic education route

According to the Ministry of Education, artistic education in music has three levels, elementary, professional and higher, and forms part of the special-regime education system. Each autonomous community regulates these studies, so details vary by region.

• Professional level: at least six years of study in an instrument or voice, leading to the Título Profesional de Música. Specialities range from piano, violin and guitar to cante flamenco, gaita and txistu. Entry is by a specific entrance test.
• Higher level: the enseñanzas artísticas superiores are part of the European Higher Education Area and are organised in two cycles, grado and máster. Under Law 1/2024 of 7 June, specific doctoral programmes can also be organised.

Royal Decree 631/2010 sets the higher music degree at four academic years of 60 credits, 240 credits in total, with seven specialities: composition, conducting, performance, musicology, pedagogy, production and management, and sonology. The title is official and valid throughout Spain. Admission requires passing a specific entrance test (prueba específica).

Two examples from our directory show the scale of these centres. The Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid offers six specialities plus 31 instrumental options in performance, official master's degrees and a doctorate in agreement with the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and has an application route for foreign students. The Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León (COSCYL) in Salamanca has three degree pathways with 25 specialities, and master's degrees for soloists, chamber music and orchestra with orchestral practice in the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León.

Universities: musicology and music technology

University degrees follow the general rules of Royal Decree 822/2021: 240 ECTS credits for a bachelor's degree and 60 to 120 for a master's. The ministry's RUCT register lists degrees such as:

• Historia y Ciencias de la Música (music history and sciences) at the Universidad de Granada, the Universidad de Oviedo, the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad de Valladolid
• Historia y Ciencias de la Música y Tecnología Musical at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• Musicología at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
• Producción de Música y Sonido para la Industria del Entretenimiento at the Universitat de Barcelona
• Composición Musical at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, also registered as a Bachelor in Music Composition

At the Universidad de Salamanca the music degree lasts four years (240 ECTS) and lets students follow pathways in music, media and cultural management; research and heritage; or music teaching. Modules include music history and analysis and ethnomusicology. TAI in Madrid, a centre attached to the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, teaches a degree in musical composition and its own programmes in music production. The Universidad Internacional de La Rioja offers an online music degree.

Alongside official degrees, the ministry notes that specialised music schools run programmes that do not lead to an official qualification, with flexible schedules and no age limit.

Admission for international students

For a university bachelor's degree, students with a foreign secondary-school qualification usually apply through UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' records and runs the tests needed to enter a Spanish degree, and then apply to each university within its deadlines. For a conservatory, the decisive step is the entrance test, so check each conservatory's admission calendar early. Most teaching is in Spanish, so a good command of the language helps in both routes.

Recognition and careers

Performing music is not a regulated profession in Spain, so a foreign university degree in music cannot be homologated; instead the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities issues a declaration of equivalence that certifies its academic level. Teaching music in secondary schools is regulated: the list of regulated professions includes secondary-school teacher (Profesor de ESO y Bachillerato, FP y Enseñanza de Idiomas).

The Universidad de Salamanca groups the careers of its graduates into research and heritage, teaching, and media and cultural management.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a conservatory and a university music degree in Spain?

Conservatories focus on performance, composition and other practical specialities and require an entrance test. Universities focus on musicology, music history and technology. Both offer official four-year degrees of 240 credits.

Do I need to pass an audition to study at a Spanish conservatory?

Yes. Admission to the higher music degree requires passing a specific entrance test.

Can I study music in English in Spain?

Options are limited. The Universidad Rey Juan Carlos registers its composition degree also as a Bachelor in Music Composition; most other programmes are taught in Spanish.

Can I study music without an official degree?

Yes. Private music schools offer courses that do not lead to an official qualification, with flexible schedules and no age limit.