Which Spanish master's degrees you need to practise a profession

Terms used

• Máster habilitante — The máster habilitante is a master's approved by the state as the required route into a regulated profession.
• Procurador — A procurador is a court representative who files and manages cases for clients before Spanish courts.
• RUCT — The RUCT is the official register of Spanish universities, centres and degrees, which flags which masters are habilitating.
• Convocatoria — A convocatoria is an official call that sets the dates and format of an exam or application round.

Key rules

• Qualifying master's: For a regulated profession, only a master's approved as habilitating leads to a licence, so confirm this before you enrol.
• State exam: Lawyers and court representatives must also pass a state exam after their master's; most other qualifying masters have none.
• Foreign degree: Enrolling in a Spanish master's does not recognise your foreign degree or give you the right to practise.
• Recognition: Regulated professions usually need your foreign degree homologated or recognised first, and sometimes extra compensatory measures.

A qualifying master's is required for regulated professions

If your profession is regulated in Spain, an ordinary master's will not let you practise. You need a máster habilitante, a master's that the state has approved as the route into that profession. Choose it before you enrol, not after.

Professions that need one include:

• Lawyer (abogacía), through the Máster de Acceso a la Abogacía.
• Court representative (procurador).
• Architect.
• The engineering professions: civil, industrial, telecommunications and others.
• Teacher in secondary education, vocational training and language schools, through the Máster en Formación del Profesorado.
• General health psychologist, through the Máster en Psicología General Sanitaria.

Other professions have their own qualifying titles. A ministerial order for each profession sets what the master's must contain. The list changes with new regulation, so check the current order for your profession.

How to tell whether a master's qualifies

The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities flags which masters are habilitating in the Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT). Look up the exact programme there before you pay anything. The university's own page should also say that the master's qualifies you for the profession. The FAQ below covers this too.

Which professions need an exam afterwards

Lawyers and court representatives must pass a state exam after their master's. The exam is called by the Ministry of Justice, usually once or twice a year, and a national evaluation commission runs it. Dates and format are set in each call (convocatoria), so check the Ministry of Justice before you plan your year.

Most other qualifying masters need no state exam afterwards. That covers teaching, architecture, engineering and general health psychology.

Health specialties such as medicine, pharmacy and nursing work differently. They use a separate national exam (MIR, FIR, EIR, PIR) that is not tied to a master's.

If your degree is from outside Spain

Check access to your profession first, before you spend money on a master's.

You can usually enrol in a Spanish master's without having your degree recognised. This works if your degree comes from a higher education system that gives access to postgraduate studies in your country, and the university approves you. But enrolling does not recognise your degree, and it does not by itself give you the right to practise.

For a regulated profession, your foreign degree must be homologated or recognised by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities at the Spanish degree level the profession requires. Homologation and equivalence have been in force under a 2022 rule. Some people also have to complete compensatory measures, which are extra requirements set by the ministry. Only after that does the qualifying master's lead to a licence.

Non-EU and EU qualifications follow different recognition paths, and each profession has its own rules. Ask the ministry and the professional body for your profession which path applies to you.

The decision below sets out your options: enrol without recognition, get your degree recognised first, or complete extra requirements as well.

Choosing between options

Is a Spanish qualifying master's enough to practise with your foreign degree?

• Enrol in the master's without recognition: You want to study and your degree gives access to postgraduate studies in its country. The university must approve you. This does not recognise your degree or let you practise.

• Get your degree recognised first: You want to practise a regulated profession. The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities must homologate or recognise your degree at the Spanish level the profession requires.

• Complete extra requirements as well: Your degree is recognised but differs from the Spanish one. You may need compensatory measures before the qualifying master's leads to a licence.

If you want to practise a regulated profession, check access first: you usually need recognition of your foreign degree, and sometimes extra measures, before the qualifying master's gives you a licence.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to sit an exam after a lawyer's master's?

Yes, lawyers must pass the state exam for access to the legal profession after the Máster de Acceso a la Abogacía. Court representatives (procuradores) sit the equivalent exam after their master's. The exam is usually held once or twice a year.

How can I tell if a master's is a qualifying one?

Check the Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT), run by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, which flags which masters qualify you to practise. Also check the current ministerial order for your profession, because the list changes.