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Advertising Schools and Programs in Madrid, Spain

About Advertising Schools and Programs in Madrid, Spain

Advertising is about creating and planning the messages that brands, companies and institutions use to reach their audiences. Students learn strategy, copywriting, art direction, media planning and audience research, and increasingly digital and social media campaigns. Madrid offers three routes into the field: official university degrees, a two-year vocational qualification (FP) and practical creative programmes run by specialised schools.

How the qualifications are organised

In Spain, advertising is usually taught as an official bachelor's degree (grado) combined with public relations, as in the Grado en Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas. As a general rule, bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits (four years) and official master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 credits. All official degrees are listed in the ministry's Registry of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT), the place to check that a programme is an official degree and not a school's own qualification.

In vocational training, the official qualification is the Técnico Superior en Marketing y Publicidad, a higher-level FP cycle (grado superior) of 2,000 hours. Short creative courses and many master's programmes at private schools are the school's own qualifications: useful for building a portfolio, but not official degrees.

Where to study Advertising in Madrid

Examples from our directory:

  • Universidad Pontificia Comillas: a private university whose bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas is listed in the RUCT.
  • Universidad Villanueva: a private university with an official bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas, listed in the RUCT, and a double degree in Marketing and Advertising and Public Relations.
  • Universidad CEU San Pablo: offers a double degree in Comunicación Audiovisual and Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas, taught face to face in Spanish or bilingually, with the next intake in September 2027.
  • ESERP Business School: teaches the higher FP cycle in Marketing and Advertising at its Madrid campus: two years and 120 ECTS credits, face to face and in Spanish. The first year costs €4,100 for the intake starting in September 2026, according to the school.
  • Miami Ad School Madrid: a creative school whose Portfolio Program lasts from one academic year (nine months) to two, with specialisations in Art Direction, Copywriting, Creativity & Innovation and Creativity & Artificial Intelligence. Classes are face to face, with some remote sessions, and the two-year option can include study in other cities such as New York, Berlin or Amsterdam. The school's courses are accredited by Universidad Euneiz, according to the school.

Public universities in Madrid also teach the subject: the RUCT lists the bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.

Admission and recognition

For a bachelor's degree, students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply for UNEDasiss accreditation. UNEDasiss, a service of the UNED, assesses the academic records of international students and runs the tests needed to enter Spanish bachelor's degrees; private universities add their own admission process. For the higher FP cycle at ESERP, applicants need the Bachillerato or an equivalent, an FP entrance test or a lower-level FP qualification (grado medio), and may be asked to attend an interview. Holders of a foreign degree who want to take an official master's can ask the ministry for a declaration of equivalence (declaración de equivalencia), which certifies the academic level of their degree; homologación is only needed to practise a regulated profession in Spain.

Careers

Graduates work in advertising and creative agencies, media agencies, brand and marketing departments, digital and social media teams, and public relations. The ministry's TodoFP portal lists jobs such as advertising technician, public relations technician and marketing technician for holders of the higher FP qualification. In creative roles, a strong portfolio often matters as much as the qualification.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study Advertising in Madrid?

An official bachelor's degree usually takes four years (240 ECTS credits). The higher FP cycle in Marketing and Advertising takes two years, and creative programmes such as Miami Ad School's Portfolio Program last one or two academic years.

Can I study Advertising at a public university in Madrid?

Yes. The Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos both teach the official bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas.

Are advertising degrees in Madrid taught in English?

Most are taught in Spanish. Some programmes have a bilingual option, such as CEU San Pablo's double degree in Audiovisual Communication and Advertising, so check the language of each programme.