Architecture Schools in Spain

Spanish architecture education is built on a two-step official route: a 300 ECTS general degree (Grado en Fundamentos de la Arquitectura or Grado en Estudios de Arquitectura) followed by a one-year, 60 ECTS Máster Universitario en Arquitectura. Ministerial Order EDU/2075/2010 sets the requirements for the habilitating master's and for the degrees that give access to it, and reserves the master's title for plans that meet those conditions. Universities present the degree alone as not enough for the reserved architect profession.

Source: boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php

Grado en Fundamentos de la Arquitectura / Grado en Estudios de Arquitectura

Five-year, 300 ECTS degree that the Order treats as the academic access requirement to the habilitating master's. Names vary by university (Fundamentos de la Arquitectura at UPM, UPV, Sevilla, Valladolid, CEU; Estudios de Arquitectura at UPC, Zaragoza, Navarra). Source

Máster Universitario en Arquitectura (máster habilitante)

One-year, 60 ECTS master's; the Order says no master's may use the title 'Máster Universitario en Arquitectura' without meeting the conditions of the Order and the Council of Ministers agreement. Access is restricted to Spanish architecture degrees (foreign degrees must be homologated first at some universities). Source

Combined Grado + Máster routes (PARS)

Some universities, for example UPM and UPV, offer a combined access code that reserves the master's from entry to the degree; students may still stop after the degree. Source

Doctorado en Arquitectura

Research doctorates are offered by schools such as Valladolid (programme running since 2013-14); others exist and were not individually verified. Source

Ministerio de Educación (Orden EDU/2075/2010) and Consejo de Universidades

Sets the requirements for verifying the official degrees that qualify for the architect profession; the Consejo de Universidades verifies the plans.

Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE)

State-level council of the Colegios Oficiales de Arquitectos and the established professional body for Spanish architects; it does not accredit schools.

Colegios Oficiales de Arquitectos

Public-law corporations of practising architects with compulsory membership; they regulate professional practice and ethics under Royal Decree 129/2018.

NAAB International Certification (US)

US body that certifies some Spanish programmes as comparable to NAAB-accredited ones; it is not formal US accreditation. NAAB lists IE University, Universidad Europea de Madrid, UPM and CEU San Pablo.

Under Order EDU/2075/2010, the master's habilitating title and the degree that gives access to it must meet the Order's requirements. Colegios Oficiales de Arquitectos are public-law corporations whose members practise the profession and are subject to compulsory membership (colegiación obligatoria) under Royal Decree 129/2018. The exact steps and any extra conditions for registering as a practising architect were not checked on a college site and should be confirmed with the relevant Colegio. Source

No degree on this site automatically permits anyone to practise as an architect, and nothing here is visa, work-permit or credit-transfer advice.

Teaching languages. Spanish is the main teaching language; Catalan is used in Catalonia. English-taught groups exist at IE University (all programmes), CEU San Pablo (50-place English group in the master's and an English degree group) and Universidad Europea (classes in English or Spanish). ANECA and regional quality agencies' roles were not verified from their own pages.

Admissions and portfolios. Entry to the degree follows the Spanish university access system (EvAU/PAU and a cut-off mark at public universities). The habilitating master's is reserved for graduates of Spanish architecture degrees; applicants with foreign degrees must first obtain homologation (Navarra) or hold an official Spanish degree (Zaragoza). Some private master's, such as Navarra's, ask for a portfolio. Source

• Order EDU/2075/2010 (BOE)
• CSCAE - Spanish architects' council