Education system in Spain is structured in the following stages: kindergarten education (0-6 years), primary compulsory education (6-12 years) and compulsory secondary education (12-16 years). Higher education can be found in both public and private institutions. The professional training or 'bachillerato' begins with a graduate program in universities and extends to postgraduate studies, it required. The normal duration for the graduate course is 4 years, except medicine that needs 6years. There is something called the 'ECTS credits' that is a method to measure the lessons. Normally 60 ECTS are taken each year, so, for a course which lasts 4 years, the total credit per lesson in a year would be 240 ECTS credits. If a student passes every subject and gets the required 240 ECTS credit then they have the right to obtain an academic degree ('Grado'), architecture or engineering qualification. Postgraduate courses are Master's degrees ('Master') and Doctoral degrees ('Doctorado') and they are awarded to students who continue with advanced courses. Read the following to find out about the Spanish education system.
Higher Education opportunities And Academic Scenario In Spain
Spanish Education System
The education system of Spain is similar to the one found in India. Read this article to get a better idea about the Spanish education system.
Education System of Spain
- The Ministry of Education along with the other departments of higher education coordinate with the activities of the state as well as private institutions to propose the main lines of the educational policy. The 'Consejo de Universidades' sets up the guidelines for the creation of universities, centres and institutes. It also recommends advanced postgraduate studies, defines the qualifications to be officially recognized throughout the country and the standards which govern the creation of certain departments. The legislation on university autonomy gives administrative, academic and financial autonomy.
- Pupils who have completed eight years of compulsory primary education (known as 'Educación General Básica' – EGB) begin their secondary schooling at the age of 14.
- After this, they proceed to 'Bachillerato Unificado y Polivalente' (BUP or general secondary school) that consist of three years of study leading to the qualification of 'título de Bachiller'.
- The 'Formación Profesional' (vocational education) comes after this and it is structured in two stages, known as' Primero' and 'Segundo Grado' (first and second grades. The 'Primer Grado' of two years leads to the qualification of 'Tecnico Auxiliar' in the trade selected. The 'Segundo Grado' of either two or three years of study rewards the student with the qualification of 'Tecnico Especialista' in his or her chosen branch.
- In most cases, students have to study another year after completing their 'Formación Profesional de Primer Grado' and before beginning the Segundo Grado.
- The university system in Spain consists of 43 State universities. There are three private universities and four universities belonging to the Catholic Church and the rest are under the State.
- All these universities are full curriculum ones which provide, according to their conditions, courses in various fields of knowledge (experimental science, social science and law, humanities, medicine, engineering and technology, etc.) and at all levels (first, second and third cycles or 'Doctorado').
- Three of them, known as 'Universidades Politecnicas', specialise in technical areas such as engineering and technology. These subjects are also studies alongside other branches of science and the humanities in the other universities. Moreover, it should be pointed out that the 'Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia' (UNED or the National open University) operates throughout Spain.
This article has dealt with the Spanish education system. Hope it was of some help! Be sure to remember the above structure if you are planning to go to Spain in order to pursue higher studies.