Master's in Foreign Trade UGR 2026: specialties, credits and career opportunities

Key data

Foreign trade professionals, internationalization departments and exporting companies in Andalusia have had available since November 2, 2026 a new official qualification with which to train or update their teams. The University of Granada publishes the study plan for its Master's Degree in Foreign Trade and International Economic Relations, recognized by the Council of Ministers on October 13, 2026 and published in the BOE with reference BOE-A-2026-23012.

The degree has official status, which means it enables access to doctoral programs (in the research specialty) and provides accredited value in selection processes and internal promotion in the private sector and Public Administration.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution formalizes the complete academic structure of the master's degree, distributed in four modules:

The common mandatory block (20 ECTS) establishes the transversal foundations of the program. Next, the student chooses one of the two specialties of 28 ECTS, and concludes with the TFM of 12 ECTS. The total always adds up to 60 ECTS, regardless of the specialty chosen.

The subjects cover the following thematic areas:

• Customs taxation
• International logistics
• International marketing
• European Union commercial policy
• Sustainable development
• Global value chains

The specialty of Management and Direction of Foreign Trade has a professional profile and includes external internships, making it the preferred option for those seeking to join or progress in exporting companies, logistics operators or internationalization departments. The specialty of International Economics and Trade has a research profile and opens the door to doctoral studies.

Economic and operational impact

For companies, the existence of this official degree has concrete implications for talent management:

• Hiring: From now on, selection processes for foreign trade profiles in Andalusia can require or value this official degree, which raises the qualification standard of the market.
• Internal training: Companies that finance or co-finance this master's degree for their employees (via agreements with UGR or training bonifications) will obtain profiles with official accreditation recognized by the State.
• Access to tenders and international projects: Having staff qualified in foreign trade can be a requirement or evaluation criterion in public tenders and internationalization projects financed by organizations such as ICEX or European funds.
• Research and development: The research specialty facilitates company-university collaboration on R&D+i projects related to global value chains and commercial policy.

Who does it affect?

• University graduates who want to specialize in foreign trade and internationalization
• Active professionals in export departments, international logistics or economic relations
• Exporting and importing companies seeking qualified talent with official qualification
• Logistics operators and freight forwarders with needs for regulated training for their teams
• Internationalization consultancies and law firms with foreign trade practice
• Researchers and teachers interested in the field of international economics
• Public administrations with responsibilities in external promotion (regional agencies, chambers of commerce)

Practical example

An exporting company from Granada with a team of five people in its foreign trade department wants to professionalize its customs and logistics management. Until now, none of its technicians had official qualification specific to the subject.

With the entry into force of this master's degree, the company can direct one or several of its technicians toward the specialty in Management and Direction of Foreign Trade (professional profile, 28 optional ECTS + 20 common ECTS + 12 ECTS of TFM = 60 total ECTS). This specialty includes external internships, which allows part of the training to be developed in the business environment itself.

The result: the technician obtains an official degree recognized by the Council of Ministers, the company improves its capacity in areas such as customs taxation, logistics and EU commercial policy, and strengthens its positioning in tenders or internationalization projects that value team qualification.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify internal candidate profiles: Review which people on your foreign trade or internationalization team could benefit from this official qualification to improve their accredited qualification.
2. Contact the University of Granada: Request information about admission deadlines, access requirements and possibility of company-university agreements for external internships in the professional specialty.
3. Explore funding channels: Check if the training is eligible for bonifications through FUNDAE (State Foundation for Employment Training) or if there are regional aid from the Junta de Andalucía for internationalization training.
4. Update selection profiles: If you have open or planned hiring processes for foreign trade profiles, incorporate this official degree as an evaluation criterion.
5. Consider the research path: If your company collaborates or wants to collaborate with UGR on R&D+i projects on global value chains or commercial policy, the research specialty can be the gateway to that collaboration.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is purely informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-23012