Reform of the Spanish University Law: degrees, master's and new professor selection

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. Official university studies are organized in three cycles: Grado (bachelor's degree), Máster (master's degree) and Doctorado (doctorate). Doctoral studies require a training period and an original research thesis.
2. The Rector (head of the university) may be elected by the Claustro or by the university community through weighted voting, as each university decides in its statutes. In any case, the majority of the vote belongs to permanent doctorate-holding professors.
3. To become a civil servant professor (Catedrático or Profesor Titular), candidates must first obtain a national accreditation that assesses their merits. After that, each university holds competitive exams open only to accredited candidates.
4. The law regulates the types of hired teaching staff: Ayudante, Profesor Ayudante Doctor, Profesor Contratado Doctor, Profesor Asociado and Profesor Visitante, plus the figure of Profesor Emérito (emeritus professor). Hired teaching staff may not exceed 49% of the university's total teaching and research staff.
5. It creates the Conferencia General de Política Universitaria, a body for coordination and cooperation on university policy between the State and the Autonomous Communities, and reorganizes the Consejo de Universidades as the academic coordination body.
6. It authorizes the creation of the Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación (ANECA), which will evaluate and accredit teaching staff and programs under principles of independence and transparency.
7. Student rights are strengthened: academic recognition for cultural or sports activities, non-sexist treatment, support to combine studies and work, and a university student statute with its own representative Council.
8. A new title on university sports and outreach is added, equal opportunities for people with disabilities are guaranteed (including full tuition waivers for students with disabilities), and universities must create gender equality units.

Who it affects

• University students and those seeking admission: They will study under the bachelor's, master's and doctorate model, gain new rights, and there will be scholarships and tuition waivers for groups facing special difficulties.
• University teaching staff: Civil servant professors need national accreditation to compete for positions; hired professors fall under five contract types with their own rules on duration and workload.
• Public and private universities: They must adapt their statutes and organizational rules within a maximum of three years.
• Administration and services staff: Their positions are filled through competitive exams, and their training and mobility between universities are promoted.
• People with disabilities: They are guaranteed equal opportunities, campus accessibility and full tuition waivers for university studies.

Words worth knowing

Acreditación (accreditation)

Official recognition that a person or a program meets the required quality standards or merits.

Claustro Universitario

The highest representative body of each university's community.

Consejo Social

A body where society participates in the university and oversees its economic activity.

Adscripción (affiliation)

Linking a teaching center to a university by agreement so it can offer official degree programs.

Excedencia (leave of absence)

A temporary situation in which a civil servant stops active service but keeps their position.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries