Education in Valencia
With regard to regulated education, the Constitution states that there is a distribution of powers in educational matters among the various entities and administrations present in Spain. In this way, the General State Administration reserves the exclusive purpose to regulate the structure of the different educational levels and the conditions for obtaining, issuing and homologating academic and professional qualifications, while the Ministry of Education of the Generalitat Valenciana is responsible for:
• The academic organization of early childhood education, primary education, compulsory secondary education, high school education, special regime education and adult education
• The elaboration of the official curricula corresponding to these teachings
• The regulation of academic and organizational measures to attend to diversity
• The regulation and development of academic and organizational measures for the schooling, integration and inclusion of students with special educational needs, as well as students with high intellectual abilities
• The development of academic and organizational measures to compensate for inequalities in education
• Non-university education.
Basic education is compulsory and free, including primary education and compulsory secondary education. This education includes ten years of schooling and extends from six to sixteen years, although students have the right to continue studying until they are eighteen years old.
Non-university education
Basic education is compulsory and free, including primary education and compulsory secondary education as basic education. This education includes ten years of schooling and extends from six to sixteen years, although students have the right to remain in these teachings until they are eighteen years old.
| Non-university educational centers in the city of Valencia | ||
| Educational level of the center | Nº of centers | Nº of students |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool-infant | 305 | 29 466 |
| Primary | 166 | 40 596 |
| Secondary compulsory | 108 | 26 958 |
| Bachillerato | 65 | 11 797 |
| Medium grade training cycles | 47 | 6348 |
| Higher-level training cycles | 33 | 8149 |
| Source: Valencia City Council |
||
In addition to these educational centers, there are several teaching centers with a special regime in Valencia. The official language school in the 2009/10 academic year had 4,064 students of English, 2,103 of French, 1,204 of German, 940 of Italian, 591 of Valencian, and 1,790 of other languages.
With regard to the studies of music and dance, the city has several conservatories: the municipal conservatory “José Iturbi,” the professional music conservatory, the superior music conservatory, the professional dance conservatory and the superior conservatory of dance.
Valencia is also the main headquarters of Musikeon, an institution active in different countries in the field of specialized music education that annually attracts music professionals and advanced students to the city from many countries in Europe and Latin America.
University education
The city has two public universities, as well as several private universities. It should be noted that Valencian public universities are among the best in Spain, as established by some rankings such as the University of Shanghai Jiao Tong.
The University of Valencia (UV), founded in 1499 under the name of General Study, is a public university oriented to teaching and research in almost all fields of knowledge. It is among the four best Spanish universities, according to the most recognized accreditation systems, such as the one maintained by the University of Shanghai Jiao Tong.
This university has three main campuses (Blasco Ibáñez, Tarongers and Burjasot-Paterna), in addition to numerous extensions, delegations, attached centers and exemplary locations, such as the historic building of La Nau, the Botanical Garden or the Palace of Cerveró. UV is known in Valencia as the “Literary University” to distinguish it from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, despite the fact that a very important part of the teaching and research at the University of Valencia is in “non-literary” fields.
The other public university in Valencia is the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), which was founded in 1968. This is a university in which special emphasis is placed on science and technology. It has several campuses, the most important of all being the one located in the city of Valencia, the so-called Vera campus, although outside the city are those of Alcoy and Gandía. The UPV is organized into nine higher technical schools, two faculties and two higher polytechnic schools, which are in charge of organizing the teaching of 34 degrees and have 41 departments and 45 research centers and institutes. In 2010, it was ranked number 336 in the ranking of the best universities in the world by the university of Shanghai Jiao Tong, being the 6th in Spain.
The Catholic University of Valencia (UCV) is a private and Catholic university of Valencia. This university, named in homage to Saint Vincent the martyr, was founded by Cardinal Monsignor Agustín García-Gasco on December 8, 2003. This university is the continuation of the university work of the “Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados University School of Nursing” (founded in 1953), the “Edetania University Teacher Training School” (founded in 1969), and the “Faculty of Business Studies” (foundecd in 1995). At present, the Catholic University of Valencia has seven faculties that frame 20 teachings grade officers.
In addition to these, there are also several university headquarters and business schools associated with other universities outside the city. Since 1997, the National Distance Education University (UNED) has had a headquarters in Valencia, called the Francisco Tomás y Valiente Center. This center was created by the Ministerial Order on September 21, 1978, although the headquarters were located in the city of Alcira. In October 1983, the Valencia sub-headquarters came into operation, which depended on Alcira, and whose headquarters have been located since 1987 in the Casa de la Misericordia. Later, in 1995 the center became part of the Basic Network of Associated Centers project of the UNED. Finally, in 2000, it was officially renamed “Centro Alcira-Valencia Francisco Tomás y Valiente.”
Another university based in Valencia is the Cardenal Herrera University (CEU), which was founded in 1999 and opened in the 2000/01 academic year. This university has the headquarters of its CEU Business School in Valencia, which is located in the Colomina Palace, where its postgraduate courses are taught.
Since 1989, the ESIC university center has had a headquarters on Avenida de Blasco Ibáñez in the city. This university center currently teaches, as a center attached to the Miguel Hernández de Elche University, official degrees and also an official master’s degree in the terms provided by university regulations.
Finally, the European University of Valencia (UEV) is another university with a presence in the city of Valencia. The UEV is a center authorized by the Valencian Government’s Department of Education on January 27, 2010, although it has been present in Valencia through the Valencia Assigned Center and Estema Escuela de Negocios since September 2008.
