The process of building the European Higher Education Area, initiated under the 1999 Bologna Declaration, includes among its objectives the adoption of a flexible, understandable and comparable system of qualifications, which promote opportunities for students to become more competitive internationally in the European higher education system. This declaration establishes a time horizon for the full achievement of this space until 2010, and the biennial phases of implementation are foreseen, each of which ends with a conference of ministers responsible for education. higher, in which it is reviewed what has been achieved and new guidelines for the future are set out. To date, the Prague Conference was held in 2001 and the Berlin Conference in 2003, and the next ministerial meeting in Bergen, Norway, is scheduled to take place in May 2005. This new system of qualifications, as reaffirmed in the communication of the Berlin Conference, must be based on two clearly differentiated levels, called respectively, Grade and Graduate, which are structured as a whole. In turn, in three cycles. The first level, or Grade, comprises first-cycle university teaching and aims to achieve the training of students to be directly integrated into the European labour field with an appropriate professional qualification. The second level, which is comprehensive of the teaching of Posgrad, integrates the second cycle of studies, dedicated to advanced training and conducive to obtaining the Master's degree, and the third cycle, leading to obtaining the title of Doctor, which represents the highest level in higher education. On the other hand, and by virtue of the competence attributed to the State by Article 149.1.30.a of the Spanish Constitution, on the regulation of the conditions for obtaining academic and professional titles, and in accordance with the provisions of the The final provision of the Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, of the Universities, corresponds to the Government the establishment of the university degrees of official character and validity throughout the national territory. For the exercise of this competence, the aforementioned organic law, after having provided for its article 37 the structuring in cycles of university teaching, has been to promote the integration of the Spanish university system according to the lines (a) to the construction of the European Higher Education Area, to which it devotes its title XIII, and authorizes the Government, in Article 88 (2) thereof, to proceed to the establishment, reform or adaptation of the cyclical arrangements for each teaching and formal qualifications and validity throughout the national territory concerned. This royal decree aims to be one of the key normative pieces in the development of the objectives of the law mentioned, since, on the one hand, it addresses the new structuring of the university teachings and, on the other, establishes the regulation of the first cycle of those, the degree; the second level of Posgrad, understanding of the second and third cycles, refers to its specific regulatory development. With this regulation, the transformation of official university teaching begins, in a process that will be developed in a progressive way until 2010, with the temporary space for reflection necessary in the light of the studies that are intended to address and with the participation of all the academic and social actors involved. This new regulatory framework will make it possible to design new titles with the appropriate flexibility, depending on the scientific and professional singularities of each of them and in harmony with the trends in Europe. The establishment of the new titles will not have to imply any consideration in the consideration of those to whom they replace and their implementation will be, in any case, fully respectful of all the academic and professional rights of They are entitled to the same as the previous ordination. Thus, throughout the process of creation of each of the new titles, the government will concretize in the corresponding standard, the equivalences that in each case could correspond to the previous ones. The official teaching of the grade cycle is regulated with a clear learning objective, which is not another than to promote the achievement by students of a university education that combines basic general knowledge and knowledge. In addition, they are linked to their comprehensive training, along with the specific skills and knowledge oriented towards their incorporation into the labour market. Likewise, this royal decree contains the necessary requirements for the government, after studying the proposals made within the university community and counting on the participation of the professional sectors and official colleges, as well. as the trade unions and other social partners involved, it can establish specific degrees of formal qualifications of a degree of official character and validity throughout the national territory, as well as the conditions to which the universities for the preparation of the respective curricula. This will enable them to diversify their supply and establish pathways for free curricular configuration. This general rule responds to the competition reserve) in favor of the State contained in article 149.1.30.a of the Spanish Constitution, and is issued in use of the authorization granted to the Government by Article 88.2 of the Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, of Universities, and for its elaboration has issued report the Council of University Coordination. In its virtue, on the proposal of the Minister of Education and Science, with the prior approval of the Minister of Public Administrations, in agreement with the Council of State and after deliberation of the Council of Ministers at its meeting of January 21, 2005,

D I S P O N G O:

CHAPTER I

General provisions

Article 1. Object.

1. This royal decree aims to establish the structure of Spanish official university teaching, in accordance with the general lines emanating from the European Higher Education Area and in accordance with the provisions of Article 88.2. of the Organic Law 6/2001 of 21 December, of Universities. 2. Likewise, this royal decree regulates the basic aspects of the ordination of the first cycle university studies leading to the obtaining of the corresponding official title.

Article 2. Definitions.

For the purposes of this royal decree, it is understood by:

(a) Official title: the one issued by the universities, accredited to the complete improvement of an official curriculum, with academic and professional validity throughout the national territory.

b) Own title: the one issued by the universities, accreditable of the overcoming of other teachings taught in use of their autonomy, lacking the effects that the legal provisions grant to the official titles. (c) Common general guidelines: those established by the Government and which are applicable to all the plans of studies leading to the obtaining of formal qualifications, with academic and professional validity throughout the national territory. (d) Own general guidelines: those established by the Government for each official university degree to which the universities must adjust in the preparation of the respective curricula, so that they can be approved. (e) "curriculum": the specific curriculum design with respect to certain lessons learned by a university, subject to the common general guidelines and the corresponding general guidelines of its own, the right of which is to be exceeded obtaining an official degree of degree of official character and validity throughout the national territory. (f) Common learning content: a set of knowledge, skills and skills needed to achieve the training objectives of the title. They will be established in the general guidelines of their own and must be included in all the curricula that lead to the obtaining of the same official university degree. g) Credit: the unit of measure of the academic having regulated in Royal Decree 1125/2003, of 5 September, which comprises the theoretical and practical teachings, with the inclusion of other directed academic activities, as well as the hours of study and the student's work to achieve the training objectives of each of the subjects of the corresponding curriculum, which represents the amount of work of the student to meet the objectives of the programme studies and which is obtained by the improvement of each of the subjects that make up the curricula of the various teachings leading to the obtaining of university degrees of official character and validity throughout the national territory.

Article 3. Issue of university degrees.

1. Official university degrees shall be issued on behalf of the King by the rector of the university in which the studies giving the right to obtain them have been completed, in accordance with the requirements in respect of their format, text and the issuing procedure is established in order by the Ministry of Education and Science, after a report by the University Coordination Council. As long as the issue of the official title does not occur, the person concerned may, as soon as the corresponding rights are paid, apply for the issue of a provisional supplementary certification which shall replace the one and shall enjoy the same value for the exercise of the rights to which they are inherent. 2. The diplomas and certificates of their own shall be issued by the rector on behalf of the university, and both their denomination and the text and format in which they are made shall not mislead the officers. These titles must be expressly mentioned as having no official character.

Article 4. Public prices of university teaching.

The studies leading to the acquisition of official titles and validity throughout the national territory and imparted in public universities will be subject to the public price regime which, in the field of their powers, establish the autonomous communities in accordance with the provisions of Article 81 of the Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, of Universities.

Article 5. School insurance.

Students enrolled in teaching courses leading to formal university degrees will apply the rules on the school insurance scheme contained in the Law of 17 July 1953 and in the The Court of Justice held that the Court of Justice held that the Court of Justice held that the Court of Justice held that the Court of Justice held that the Court of Justice held that the Court of Justice did not prejudice to the forecasts contained in Royal Decree 1326/2003 of 24 October, approving the the Statute of the Research Scholar, on the Social Security of Fellows.

CHAPTER II

Structure of University Teachings

Article 6. General structure.

The university teachings leading to the obtaining of official titles and validity throughout the national territory will comprise studies of Grade and Graduate and will be structured in cycles, according to the established In Article 37 of the Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, of Universities, and in this royal decree.

Article 7. Degree teachings.

The first cycle of university studies will include basic teaching and general training, along with others aimed at preparing for the exercise of professional activities. The improvement of the cycle will entitle to obtain the corresponding title, with the denomination that, in each case, the government agrees.

Article 8. Teaching of Posgrad.

1. The second cycle of university studies will be devoted to advanced, specialized or multidisciplinary training, aimed at academic or professional specialization or to promote initiation into research tasks. The improvement of the cycle will entitle to the obtaining of the title of Master. 2. The third cycle of the university studies will have as finality the advanced training of the student in the techniques of research, may include courses, seminars or other activities aimed at research training and will include the elaboration and presentation of the corresponding doctoral thesis, consisting of an original research work. The improvement of the cycle will entitle to the obtaining of the title of Doctor, which represents the highest level in higher education, credits the highest academic rank and faculty for teaching and research, according to the legislation in force. 3. The regulation of official university studies in Post-grad will be the subject of specific regulatory development.

CHAPTER III

Regulation of official undergraduate studies of Grade

Article 9. Establishment of the official university degrees of Grade.

1. The degree of formal qualifications which are official and valid throughout the national territory, as well as the general guidelines of the curricula to be obtained for obtaining them, will be established by royal decree of the Council of Ministers, either on its own initiative, prior to the report of the Council of University Coordination, or on a proposal from this Council, as provided for in Article 34 of the Law of the University of the European Union, of 21 December 2001, of 21 December 2001. Undergraduate degrees shall have full academic effects and shall, where appropriate, enable them to activities of a professional nature, in accordance with the rules in force. 3. For the establishment of an official degree of degree, the report of the University Coordination Council shall contain at least the following points:

(a) Title-specific name, total number of credits, common training contents and minimum number of credits allocated to each of them.

b) Specifying the objectives of the title, as well as the knowledge, skills and skills to be acquired for obtaining them with reference to the completion of these objectives in the common learning content. c) The professional profile associated with the title. d) The relevance of the title for the development of knowledge and for the Spanish and European labour market. (e) Justification of its incorporation into the Catalogue of official university degrees, in which it will be particularly appropriate to consider its suitability with the general lines emanating from the European Higher Education Area.

4. It will not be possible to establish an official university degree of degree whose educational content substantially matches those of another official title. In cases where the establishment of a title implies the extinction of existing university degrees, it must be expressly stated.

5. The royal decree establishing an official university degree of degree will be adopted in accordance with the common general guidelines provided for in this royal decree and will include the corresponding general guidelines of its own. 6. The establishment of an official university degree of degree shall include the inclusion in the Catalogue of official university degrees and, where appropriate, the deletion of the entry in the aforementioned catalogue of the title or previous titles when proceed. For these purposes, the Government shall determine, in the rules for the establishment of securities, the conditions for the approval of the titles preceding the new ones, and for the adaptation of the teachings to be determined by them.

Article 10. Common general guidelines.

1. The total number of credits for teaching and academic activities leading to the achievement of official degrees of Grade shall be between 180 and 240. 2. The appropriations corresponding to the completion of the end-of-career project and the tutored practices may be excluded from this calculation if they derive from common rules, decisions or practices established in the European Union or, where appropriate, in accordance with the rules in force, they constitute a requirement for the exercise of regulated professional activities, as well as those relating to the knowledge of foreign languages. The general guidelines of each heading shall lay down the conditions for carrying out such work. 3. In cases where this is required by compliance with Community law rules, the Government may, after reporting by the University Coordination Council, assign a different number of credits to certain lessons. 4. All plans for studies leading to the same official qualification shall have the same number of credits. 5. The general guidelines for these securities may not include official recognition of specialties and shall be directed towards the acquisition of a professional qualification with significance in the field of work, which, if appropriate, and with the current regulations, it allows the access to the exercise of professional activities within a certain scope, without prejudice to other possible requirements demanded by the regulations in force regarding the regulated professions.

Article 11. Own general guidelines.

1. The general guidelines corresponding to each grade specific title shall determine the number of appropriations for the curricula to be exceeded in order to obtain the corresponding official title. 2. The general guidelines of each degree of qualification shall specify the common training contents, a brief description of their subjects and the number of credits to be allocated to them in their respective curricula. 3. The number of appropriations laid down in the general guidelines for all the common training contents of the curricula leading to the attainment of a degree of qualification shall be at least 50% and a maximum of 75%. percent of the total number of credits corresponding to that degree. 4. The general guidelines themselves shall specify the academic effects and, where appropriate, and in accordance with the rules in force, the professional competence inherent in obtaining the title, without prejudice to the provisions of the specific rules for access to the exercise of regulated professions.

Article 12. Preparation and approval of curricula.

1. The plans of studies leading to the attainment of official degrees of university degree shall be drawn up and approved by the universities, in such a way as to determine their statutes or rules of organization and operation, subject to prior authorization. of its implementation by the competent organ of the respective autonomous community. They shall comply with the common general guidelines laid down in this royal decree and the general guidelines which the government shall establish for each title, and shall be subject to the approval process, in accordance with the rules laid down in this Regulation. in this respect. 2. The study plans shall have a minimum duration equivalent to the number of academic years in which such teaching is organised and their extinction shall be governed by the provisions of Article 14.3 and 4.

Article 13. Content of the curricula of studies leading to the attainment of formal undergraduate degrees.

1. The contents of the curricula leading to the obtaining of formal degrees of university degree shall be arranged by distinguishing between:

(a) Common learning content set out in the general guidelines of each title.

b) Specific training content determined by the university discretionally.

2. With respect to each of the subjects that make up the curricula, the universities will have to achieve the objectives, knowledge, skills and skills to be acquired, the description of contents and the number of credits allocated to each one of them.

3. Universities will be able to assess in credits the performance of practices in companies or institutions, of professional work academically directed and integrated in the curriculum, as well as the recognition of the studies or activities training carried out in the framework of university or inter-university, national or international programmes. 4. The curricula shall also specify the academic structure of their teaching and their temporary management, with particular attention to the objective of facilitating the mobility of students.

Article 14. Modification and extinction of curricula.

1. The amendments to a curriculum shall be approved by the universities in the form in which they determine their statutes or rules of organisation and operation and subject to the procedure laid down in the rules in force. 2. Amendments to a curriculum, whether in whole or in part, shall be in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of Royal Decree 49/2004 of 19 January on the approval of plans for official studies and certificates and validity in all the national territory. 3. The extinction of a study plan leading to the achievement of an official degree of degree may occur for the following reasons:

a) Implementation of a new curriculum corresponding to the same official title at the same university.

b) Cese of the imparting of the teachings agreed upon by the autonomous community, which must be communicated, at least, three months in advance at the beginning of the academic year to the Council of University Coordination.

4. Plans for studies will be extinguished by course. Once each course is extinguished and without prejudice to the rules of stay that apply, the universities will have to guarantee procedures that will enable the students in the two academic courses to overcome this course. next.

Article 15. Plans for joint studies.

1. The Spanish universities may, by way of agreement, organise joint study plans leading to the achievement of a single official degree of degree and whose teachings are taught in two or more universities. To this end, a joint application for the approval of the study plan shall be submitted to the University Coordination Council, accompanied by the relevant convention specifying which university will be responsible for the processing of the students ' files, as well as the particularities relating to the issue and registration of the title. 2. Universities may conclude agreements with foreign universities for the delivery of joint study plans leading to a single or double degree. The Ministry of Education and Science shall regulate the particularities resulting from the approval of such plans and certificates. 3. In addition to the provisions of this royal decree and in the specific regulations for the approval of curricula, the provisions of the modification and extinction of joint studies shall govern, in addition to the provisions of this royal decree, the provisions of the convention concluded between the universities, provided that they do not contravene the provisions of those rules.

Additional disposition first. Registration of new titles in the Catalogue of official university degrees.

1. The catalogue of official university degrees remains and is governed by the criteria set out in Royal Decree 1954/1994 of 30 September 1994 on the type-approval of titles to those of the catalogue of official university degrees, created by the Royal Decree 1497/1987 of 27 November 1987. 2. The new official degrees of degree established in accordance with the provisions of this royal decree must be entered in the Catalogue of official university degrees. 3. The current titles of the catalogue will be gradually replaced by the new official titles that will be established in application of this royal decree. The process of renewing the catalogue of official university degrees must be completed by 1 October 2007.

Additional provision second. Temporary development of the implementation.

The temporary development of the implementation of the new curricula will be based on the economic availability of the institutions responsible for university education.

First transient disposition. Development and approval of new curricula.

1. Within three years of the adoption of the Royal Decree of the establishment of a degree, the universities which are teaching courses leading to the official titles deleted from the catalogue in application of the Article 9.6 of this royal decree shall send for approval to the University Coordination Council the curriculum associated with the new official title. 2. In the event of non-compliance with the above paragraph, the University Coordination Council shall submit a report to the Ministry of Education and Science for the revocation of the approval of the deleted title or titles or of the agreement. approval of the study plan leading to the acquisition of one of these. 3. With effect from 1 March 2005, the University Coordination Council, without prejudice to further processing of the files previously entered into it, will not approve plans for studies leading to the acquisition of new files. qualifications, nor will the government approve the corresponding official university degrees, which do not conform to the provisions of this royal decree.

Second transient disposition. General criteria for the validation and adaptation of studies.

Until the University Coordination Council does not regulate, according to the provisions of Article 36 of the Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, of Universities, the general criteria to be adjusted Universities in the field of validation and adaptation of studies in Spanish and foreign academic institutions, will continue to apply the ones set out in section 1 of Annex 1 to Royal Decree 1497/1987, of 27 November, by the (a) the establishment of common general guidelines for the curricula of university degrees of official character and validity throughout the national territory.

Transitional provision third. Official university degrees in force.

This royal decree and the royal decrees establishing new degrees of university degree to be approved by the government will not affect the academic or professional effects of the titles currently in force.

Single repeal provision. Regulatory repeal.

1. Royal Decree 1496/1987 of 6 November 1987 on the acquisition, issue and approval of university degrees, without prejudice to its application to the above lessons, shall be repealed until the end of the final period of termination in accordance with the provisions of the this royal decree. 2. Royal Decree 1497/1987, dated 27 November, is hereby repealed, establishing common general guidelines for the curricula of university degrees of official character and validity throughout the national territory.

Final disposition first. Amendment of Royal Decree 49/2004 of 19 January on the approval of plans for studies and certificates of official character and validity throughout the national territory.

Article 6 of Royal Decree 49/2004 of 19 January on the approval of plans for studies and formal qualifications and validity throughout the national territory is read as follows:

" Article 6. Approval in the case of modification of the curriculum.

1. The amendment of a study plan affecting a number of more than 10% of the appropriations relating to the common training content or the subject matter of the current plans, including in the general guidelines of its own, involve the extinction of the plan of studies in force and, as a result, shall be considered as a new curriculum to be submitted to the approval procedure provided for in Articles 4 and 5.

2. If the amendment concerns a number equal to or less than 10% of the appropriations referred to in the preceding paragraph, or only concerns content which is discretionary by the university, it shall be communicated to the Coordination Council. University, prior to its publication in the "Official Gazette of the State", for the purposes of the General Secretariat of the said Council to check its correspondence with the common and own general guidelines of the corresponding title. The General Secretariat of the Council shall communicate these amendments to the respective Autonomous Community, as well as to the competent body of the Ministry of Education and Science. 3. Changes to the curricula should include the necessary forecasts for the credit recognition mechanisms for students who came from the previous plan. "

Final disposition second. Competence title.

This royal decree is dictated by the provisions of Article 149.1.30.a of the Spanish Constitution and in use of the authorization granted to the Government by Article 88.2 and the final provision of the third of the Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, of Universities, and it is applicable throughout the national territory.

Final disposition third. Regulatory development.

It is up to the Minister of Education and Science and the universities to dictate, in the field of their respective competences, the necessary provisions for the implementation of this royal decree.

Final disposition fourth. Entry into force.

This royal decree will enter into force on the day following its publication in the "Official State Gazette".

Given in Madrid, on January 21, 2005.

JOHN CARLOS R.

The Minister of Education and Science, MARÍA JESÚS SAN SEGUNDO GÓMEZ DE CADINANOS