ETSIAAB confirms elite status among premier centres for Biotechnology and Agricultural Engineering
This reputation is highlighted by the newly released 2026 edition of the acclaimed ‘50 most in-demand degrees in Spain’ ranking, published annually by El Mundo newspaper.
May 12,2026
Two flagship programmes at the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB) have sustained their leading positions in the newly published 2026 edition of ‘The 50 Most In-Demand Degrees in Spain’. This annual league table, compiled by the national newspaper El Mundo, highlights the premier Spanish universities for highly sought-after qualifications, validating the consistently high standard of education delivered at ETSIAAB.
According to this ranking, the best option to study Biotechnology is at UPM’s ETSIAAB, which leads the field ahead of the ‘Universidad Politécnica de Valencia’, the ‘Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona’, the ‘Universidad de León’ and the ‘Universidad de Salamanca’. Furthermore, ETSIAAB excels in Agricultural Engineering, securing a strong second place just behind the ‘Universidad Politécnica de Valencia’, and outperforming the ‘Universidad de Lleida’, the ‘Universidad de Vigo’ and the ‘Universidad de Almería’.
UPM, the top Spanish polytechnic university
UPM remains the leading polytechnic university in our country, consolidating its position as the best option to study Engineering and Architecture in Spain. It boasts 11 of its degrees among the most in-demand, with five securing the top spot.
In addition to the Biotechnology degree taught at ETSIAAB, our university's centres are the finest places to study four other programmes in fields related to Architecture, Building Construction, Industrial Technologies Engineering and Telecommunications Technologies Engineering. Furthermore, alongside Agricultural Engineering - another standout programme at ETSIAAB - the degrees in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences are the second most in demand. Meanwhile, Computer Science Engineering ranks third in this university league table, while the new Data Science degree ranks fourth.
Overall, Madrid's public universities lead this ranking, with 18 of their degree programmes ranking first. The El Mundo newspaper analyses 27 criteria to compile this league table, drawing on the expertise of over 3,000 professors alongside other indicators, such as university positions in international rankings. Furthermore, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) ranks among the world's top 100 universities for Engineering and Technology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. In this same international ranking, the agricultural and forestry programmes at ETSIAAB also secure a place in the top 100 globally, ranking 86th among the best universities worldwide.