Located in southwestern Europe, Spain is the continent’s fourth-largest country by area. It borders Portugal, France, Andorra, and Morocco through Spain’s North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla. Its capital and largest city is Madrid. As of April 1, 2026, Spain’s population was about 49.7 million.
Castilian Spanish is the official language of Spain. Catalan/Valencian, Galician, Basque, and Aranese are co-official in specific autonomous communities, and English is widely studied and used in international settings. Catholicism remains the largest religious affiliation, while Islam, Judaism, Protestant Christianity, Hinduism, and other religions are also practiced.
As for education in Spain, it begins with non-compulsory Infant Education, followed by Primary Education, which lasts six years. Compulsory Secondary Education then follows from ages 12 to 16, after which students may continue to upper secondary education, vocational training, or university studies.
Thomas H. Davenport and DJ Patil wrote in a Harvard Business Review article from 2012 that data scientist was the “sexiest job of the 21st century.” Their 2022 follow-up noted that the role remained in strong demand, and Spanish institutions continue to offer several data science-related programs at the undergraduate, master’s, and professional levels.
Below, we list some of the notable schools in Spain for data science.
Top Schools Offering Data Science in Spain
1. University of Barcelona
Regarded as one of Spain’s leading and oldest universities, the University of Barcelona is a public institution with more than 550 years of history. The university has 17 faculties and 10 affiliated centers across seven campuses in Barcelona and nearby cities.
The university welcomes more than 10,500 international students each year and offers a broad range of official programs, UB-specific degrees, and doctoral programs.
For data science, the university offers the official Master in Fundamental Principles of Data Science, a one-year, 60-ECTS, face-to-face program taught in English through the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. The university also lists related lifelong-learning options, including Big Data & Data Science programs.
2. Autonomous University of Madrid
The Autonomous University of Madrid, or Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, offers dedicated data science education through its Higher Polytechnic School in Madrid, Spain. Its bachelor’s in Data Science and Engineering and official master’s in Data Science connect the extraction of knowledge from data with computing, applied statistics, and machine learning.
The four-year, 240-ECTS bachelor’s in Data Science and Engineering is taught in Spanish and delivered in person. Its stated purpose includes collecting and analyzing data and designing practical systems that make use of large volumes of information. This is a complete undergraduate degree, rather than a minor or a collection of elective courses.
The official Data Science master’s takes one year and requires 60 ECTS, with Spanish-language, in-person teaching. It has an explicit research and innovation orientation, drawing on applied statistics, information processing, and machine learning. UAM separately lists a continuing-education master’s in Big Data and Data Science; that qualification should be distinguished from its official university master’s. Doctoral study is available in Computer Engineering and Telecommunications,.
What Current Students / Alumni of Autonomous University of Madrid Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | Data Science Academic Experience | University Experience |
|---|
Lucía Sánchez García
Master’s in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
2019–2021 | Through her master’s degree, she developed expertise in mathematics, statistics, and data analysis applied to biology. She describes this training as providing practical analytical tools for approaching biological questions computationally. | — |
3. University of Valencia
Famous for being a leading Spanish center of excellence, the University of Valencia (UV) is a public university established in 1499. Its centers and faculties are spread across the university’s main campuses in Blasco Ibáñez, Burjassot-Paterna, and Tarongers, along with other locations.
UV is also active in research and offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies through numerous departments, centers, and research institutes.
UV’s School of Engineering offers both a Degree in Data Science and a Master’s Degree in Data Science. The bachelor’s degree is a four-year, 240-credit, face-to-face program taught in Spanish and Valencian. The master’s degree is a two-year, 90-credit, face-to-face program taught in Spanish.
4. Barcelona School of Economics
Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) was founded in 2006 as an institution for scientific cooperation between four academic units. It was formerly known as the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (Barcelona GSE) and adopted its current name in 2021.
The school specializes in economics, finance, data science, and the social sciences. It offers master’s degrees, executive education, summer and winter school programs, and in-company training. BSE has two campus locations: Ciutadella Campus and Bellaterra Campus.
At BSE’s Data Science Center, students can pursue a nine-month, full-time Master’s Degree in Data Science taught in English. The degree includes two specialized programs: Data Science Methodology and Data Science for Decision Making. The center also offers intensive short programs and in-company training.
5. University of the Balearic Islands
The University of the Balearic Islands in Mallorca, Spain, offers an official master’s in Data Analytics and Business Intelligence. The program combines analytical technologies with economic and business applications, focusing on how organizations can extract knowledge, identify patterns, and make predictions from data.
Related undergraduate preparation includes Informatics Engineering, Mathematics, and a double degree combining these subjects. These computing and mathematical degrees provide preparation for graduate analytics.
The current Catalan-language program listing specifies 90 ECTS for the Data Analytics and Business Intelligence master’s, with in-person teaching at the Mallorca campus and Catalan and Spanish as the listed teaching languages. Its study plan includes business applications of analytics, data-driven decisions, financial analytics, and visualization. The university also participates in the EDISS joint master’s, hosting its Computer Vision and Intelligent Systems specialization. Broader doctoral study is available in Information and Communications Technology,.
What Current Students / Alumni of University of the Balearic Islands Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | Data Science Academic Experience | University Experience |
|---|
Mira
Master’s in Engineering of Data-intensive Intelligent Software Systems (EDISS)
Second-year study in Spain | Her studies included computer vision and mobile robotics within a program combining software engineering and data science. She reports that the Spanish program was taught in English, but some professors’ strong accents or limited English made communication more challenging. | Living in Mallorca, she found accommodation expensive because of the tourist market, although groceries were affordable. Limited English in everyday interactions made her initial adjustment harder. |
Shihabur
Master’s in Engineering of Data-intensive Intelligent Software Systems (EDISS)
Second-year specialization in Computer Vision | After completing foundational data science, machine learning, and AI studies in Finland, he specialized in computer vision during his second year in Spain. He valued the progression from foundational concepts to advanced specialization. | He reports paying more for lower-quality accommodation in Spain than in Finland because suitable student housing was difficult to find. Everyday communication in Mallorca sometimes required translation apps and basic Spanish phrases. |
Apart from studies, Spain is known for its culture, history, and tourism. Popular attractions include the Royal Palace of Madrid, La Concha, the Sagrada Família, Plaza Mayor, and the City of Arts and Sciences. A visit also gives students the chance to try Spanish dishes and foods such as paella Valenciana, gazpacho, jamón, albóndigas, and churros.
We hope this article on the best schools for data science in Spain was helpful. If you are interested, explore Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for International Students!
