The Council of Ministers on February 14 approved a Royal Decree that modifies the Royal Decrees of July 15, 2011, which established the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education; and that of October 29, 2007, which established the Organization of Official University Education.
With the modifications provided for in the Royal Decree approved today, a system of affiliation of the specificity of certain university studies is established in the case of qualifications qualified for comprising sufficient Master's level credits. This will facilitate the circulation abroad of graduates of Spanish universities in this type of special qualification degrees.
The Royal Decree agreed today modifies the annex of the aforementioned Royal Decree of 2011, in the sense of include in the table of qualifications the assignment to Level 3 (Master) of the Bachelor's degree of at least three hundred ECTS credits that includes at least sixty ECTS credits of Master level and that has obtained this level of qualification by resolution of the Council of Universities, together with the titles of University Master and Master of artistic education.
Compliance with sentences
From this modification derives the need to reform, secondly, the Royal Decree of October 29, 2007, which established the organization of official university education, to incorporate in the articles the possibility that a Bachelor's degree can obtain the affiliation to this level of qualification 3. As an essential complement, an additional provision is introduced that contains the procedure to follow to achieve the aforementioned qualification, in which compliance with the aforementioned requirements must be guaranteed.
The modification of the annex of the aforementioned Royal Decree of 2011 is used to comply with the jurisprudence established by the 3rd Chamber of Administrative Litigation of the Supreme Court in numerous sentences that annul articles 7.1, 8, 11, 12, and the additional provision seventh of the Royal Decree of October 26, 2009, which establishes the organization of higher artistic education regulated by the Organic Law of Education. Consequently, the allusion in the annex to the "Graduate Title of Higher Artistic Education" is replaced by that of "Higher Title of Higher Artistic Education".
European Higher Education Area
The establishment of the European Space for Higher Education has led to the complete renewal of university studies in Spain, which are now structured into the three different levels of Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate.
The Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, regulated by the Royal Decree of 2011, is structured into four levels defined in such a way that the Higher Technician level is Level 1; that of Degree, in Level 2; that of Master, at Level 3 and that of Doctor, at Level 4.
However, it is evident that there are Bachelor's degrees that exceed the threshold of the 240 minimum ECTS credits generally required in Spain for these studies and that, in the case of containing at least sixty ECTS at the Master's level, could aspire to the Level 3 qualification. They are titles whose definition of their study plans and competences imply the achievement of learning results that characterize the qualifications of this Level 3. In addition, they share with the titles linked to this level the effects of direct access to higher Level 4 titles or qualifications, as currently provided for in the Royal Decree of January 28, 2011, which regulates official doctoral teaching.
Specific professional qualification
With the Royal Decree agreed today, it is not intended to give a double Bachelor's and Master's degree to those who pass a longer degree, since this is not allowed by the Spanish legal system, but to recognize that certain academic degrees provide a level of professional qualification specific, different from that which they nominally evoke.
Therefore, the purpose of the standard is to allow the assignment to Level 3 (Master's) of Bachelor's degrees that, due to the requirements of European Union regulations, are of at least three hundred ECTS credits, provided they comprise a minimum of sixty credits. Master's level ECTS. Such is the case of the titles of certain studies in the field of health sciences such as Medicine, Dentistry, Vet o Pharmacy, which give access to regulated professions.
