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Public Relations Schools and Programs in Madrid, Spain

About Public Relations Schools and Programs in Madrid, Spain

Public relations (PR) is about managing how an organisation communicates with the people who matter to it: the media, customers, employees, investors, public authorities and the wider public. Students learn strategic and corporate communication, media relations, crisis communication, events and protocol, and digital reputation. In Madrid, PR is taught mainly in university degrees that combine it with advertising, in specialised degrees in protocol and events, and in vocational training.

How the qualifications are organised

In Spain, PR is usually studied as part of the official bachelor's degree (grado) in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas (Advertising and Public Relations). A related path is the degree in protocol and event organisation, which focuses on institutional and corporate events. 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); many master's programmes at private schools are their own qualifications, not official degrees.

In vocational training, the higher FP cycle Técnico Superior en Marketing y Publicidad (2,000 hours) also prepares students for public relations work.

Where to study Public Relations in Madrid

Examples from our directory:

  • Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM): a public university whose Faculty of Information Sciences (Facultad de Ciencias de la Información), on the Moncloa campus, describes itself as the Spanish pioneer in university studies of advertising and public relations, introduced in 1971. It teaches the official bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas.
  • 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.
  • ISEMCO (International School of Event Management & Communication): collaborates with the Universidad Camilo José Cela on its official bachelor's degree in Protocolo y Organización de Eventos, taught at the UCJC Castellana campus in Madrid over four years (240 credits), on site or at a distance. It also offers a one-year, 60-credit Máster Universitario en Dirección de Eventos y Protocolo by distance learning.
  • ESERP Business School: teaches the higher FP cycle in Marketing and Advertising in Madrid: two years and 120 ECTS credits, face to face and in Spanish.

The RUCT also lists, at the public Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, a bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas and a degree in protocol, event organisation and corporate communication.

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. 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 communication departments of companies and institutions, PR and communication agencies, public affairs, event and protocol management, and digital reputation. The ministry's TodoFP portal lists public relations technician and organiser of marketing and communication events among the jobs open to holders of the higher FP qualification.

Frequently asked questions

Which degree should I choose to work in public relations in Spain?

The most common route is the official bachelor's degree in Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas, which takes four years (240 ECTS credits). If you are mainly interested in events and protocol, there are also official degrees in protocol and event organisation.

Can I study Public Relations 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.

Can I study protocol and events at a distance?

Yes. The bachelor's degree in Protocolo y Organización de Eventos taught with ISEMCO can be taken on site or at a distance, and ISEMCO's Máster Universitario en Dirección de Eventos y Protocolo is taught at a distance.