Editing Academic degree (section)

==== Spain ====
Spain's higher-education legal framework includes official and accredited education, as well as non-official education.

'''1.1 Official and accredited education'''

In Spain, accreditation of official university study programmes is regulated by law and monitored by governmental agencies responsible for verifying their quality and suitability for official approval and accreditation.

Official professional study programmes lead to degree qualifications (''Títulos'') with full academic and professional rights. The degrees awarded in accordance with the latest higher-education system are:

1. Bachelor's Degree (''Grado'') – 240 ECTS Credits in 4 years.

2. Master's Degree (''Master Universitario'') – 60 to 120 ECTS Credits in 1–2 years.

3. Doctoral degree PhD (''Doctorado'') – in 3–4 years.

Accredited bachelor's degrees and master's degrees qualifications will always be described as ''Grado'' and ''Master Universitario''. These qualifications comply with the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ehea.info/|title=European Higher Education Area website 2010-2020- EHEA|work=ehea.info}}</ref> framework. Officially approved and accredited university study programmes by law must implement this framework in order to attain and retain accreditation in Spain.

[[File:Spanish Official University Education Legal Framework 02.jpg|thumb|Official Spanish University Education Legal Framework 02]]

'''1.2 Non-official education'''

Not all EHEA-compliant study programmes in Spain are officially approved or accredited by government agencies. Some universities offer proprietary study programmes as alternatives for a variety of reasons: serving the continuing education market for individual self-advancement and also providing higher education to individuals who have failed to acquire bachelor's degree qualifications. The main reason for offering these alternative studies, though, is the complex bureaucratic process required to receive the approval of specific titles, in particular when it refers to new studies or studies about matters that do not fit with the official studies. For historical reasons, the academic system has been very much under the control of the state, and private universities are still regarded with as a threat to the state system.

These programmes fall within the category of "non officially approved and accredited" or ''estudios no oficiales'', and they confer no academic or professional rights. This means that they do not entitle the bearer to claim to have any specific academic or professional qualifications, as far as the Spanish authorities are concerned. However, there may be private agreements to recognize the titles.

[[File:Spanish Official University Education Legal Framework 01.jpg|thumb|Official Spanish University Education Legal Framework 01]]

Universities offering non-official study programmes are legally bound to clearly differentiate between officially-approved and non-officially-approved qualifications. Non-accredited master's degrees will be described as just ''Master'', without the accompanying ''Universitario''.

Certain non-officially approved and accredited study programmes may acquire a positive reputation. However, neither professional associations, government agencies, judiciary authorities, nor universities – other than the study programme provider – are obliged to recognize non-official qualifications in any way.

'''2. Accreditation system'''

University-taught study programme accreditation is granted through the [[National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation]] (ANECA),<ref name="aneca.es">{{cite web|url=http://www.aneca.es/eng|title=Home|work=aneca.es}}</ref> a government-dependent quality assurance and accreditation provider for the Spanish higher education system that ensures that the data held in the Register of Universities, Centres and Qualifications (RUCT),<ref name="educacion.gob.es">{{cite web|url=https://www.educacion.gob.es/ruct/home |title=Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos (RUCT) – Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte |access-date=26 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714234544/https://www.educacion.gob.es/ruct/home |archive-date=14 July 2013 }}</ref> a national registry for universities and qualifications, is correct and up to date. All study programmes must be accredited by ANECA<ref name="aneca.es" /> prior to their inclusion in the RUCT.<ref name="educacion.gob.es" /> The RUCT<ref name="educacion.gob.es" /> records all officially approved universities and their bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and PhDs and each and every one of the officially approved and accredited study programmes. Universities are assigned a specific number Code (''Código'') by the RUCT. The same study programme may acquire different codes as it progresses through various stages of official approval by local and central governments.

Prospective students should check the RUCT Code awarded to the study programme of their interest at every stage of their enquiries concerning degrees in Spain.<ref name="educacion.gob.es" />

ANECA makes recommendations regarding procedures, staffing levels, quality of teaching, resources available to students and continuity or loss of accreditation. The ANECA Registry<ref>{{cite web|url=http://srv.aneca.es/ListadoTitulos/en|title=Welcome to Buscador de Títulos Universitarios – ANECA – Buscador de Títulos Universitarios – ANECA|work=aneca.es}}</ref> records all events in the life of an officially approved and accredited study programme or a university. The ANECA Registry Search Facility<ref>{{cite web|url=http://srv.aneca.es/ListadoTitulos/en/search/site/paisajismo|title=Search – Buscador de Títulos Universitarios – ANECA|work=aneca.es}}</ref> may be the simplest and safest way to verify the status of all officially approved and accredited study programmes in Spain.

It is also possible to track qualifications by using the search facility that several Autonomous Communities' own accreditation agencies offer. These agencies work within the ANECA framework and generally show more detailed information about the study programmes available in each territory (e.g., Catalonia, Madrid, etc.)

'''3. Qualifications framework for higher education'''

The qualifications framework for higher education [[QF-EHEA|MECES]] is the reference framework adopted in Spain in order to structure degree levels.

Not all universities offer degrees named exactly the same, even if they have similar academic and professional effects. Each university may present proposals for the study programme considered to meet professional and academic demand. The proposal will consist of a report linking the study programme being considered and the proposed qualification to be awarded. This report will be assessed by ANECA and sent for the Consejo de Universidades Españolas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mecd.gob.es/ministerio-mecd/organizacion/organismos/consejo-universidades.html|title=Página no encontrada – Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte|website=Mecd.gob.es|access-date=18 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218135740/http://www.mecd.gob.es/ministerio-mecd/organizacion/organismos/consejo-universidades.html|archive-date=18 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> If the ''Consejo'' agrees with ANECA's approval, it will be included in the RUCT and ANECA registries.

'''4. Spanish qualifications and their professional effects.'''

All bachelor's and master's degrees accredited by ANECA bestow full academic and professional rights in accordance with new and previous laws. Professional-practice law in Spain is currently under revision.