Abstract:

University education in many countries is determined by the guidelines set by the various administrations. Spain is a good example of the administration's supervision of higher education, where most of the university centers have been created and are financed by different administrations.

The Spanish government has recently approved Royal Decree 640/2021, of July 27, which implies important changes for the development of university activities. Regulates, among other things, the creation, recognition, authorization and institutional accreditation of university centers. The entry into force of this Law will entail major changes that universities will have to deal with in the coming years, and will have important consequences both for Spanish students and for foreign students studying in our universities.

As far as civil engineering is concerned, we can say that it is no stranger to these changes, to which we should also add the evolution of studies towards a degree of the future to adapt to an increasingly technological society. In this sense, civil engineering is the pillar of the welfare society and quality of life, but nowadays, on the one hand, new communications and control systems and on the other hand, the development of new mobility and logistics systems are radically changing the training needs and work activities of graduates in the area of Civil Engineering. All this with the aim of training professionals who are well received by the labor market both nationally and internationally.

In this text we will analyze the consequences that the decree has on the activities to be developed in our center, the School of Civil Engineering, both for the positive aspects introduced by the text, particularly in the effort to improve research activities and dissemination of activities as in the negative aspects. These include the reduction of university independence and the functionalization of the educational system.

Keywords:

Formative frameworks, civil engineering, university education, graduates.