[6] The Ministry of Education was created during the regency of Maria Christina of Austria by 1900 Budget Act.

[8] Thirteen years later the Directorate-General for Studies acquired the name of Inspectorate-General for Public Instruction and, in 1834 it recovers its original denomination.

During this 45 years, the Directorate-General for Public Instruction assumed powers on Culture and it was divided in offices: universities; high schools; basic schools; archives, libraries and museums; fine arts and development; Accounting and the Intellectual and Industrial Property Bulletin.

PM Silvela had assumed the office a year before and after the disaster of the 1898, it was needed a cut of the government expenditure.

With the premiership of the Count of Romanones it would begin to shape a model of Ministry with timid regenerationist airs.

[11] Initially, it had four sections: Universities and Institutes; First Teaching and Normal Schools; Fine arts; and Civil Constructions and Special Schools, whose work consisted in the promotion of public and private education in its different classes and degrees, the promotion of science and letters, Fine Arts, Archives, Libraries and Museums.

In Second Republic, the Department assumed the competence on Vocational Training (until then dependent of Labour) and the Directorate-General for Technical and Superior Education is created.

[13] After the victory of Franco, the Franco regime change its name to Ministry of National Education and the Department assumed the management of the Spanish and Maria Guerrero theaters, through the so-called National Council of Theaters, which in 1951 was ceded to the newly created Ministry of Information and Tourism.

However, under the second term of José María Aznar (2000–2004), Education loses the research competences for the benefit of the new Ministry of Science and Innovation.

In 2004, the new government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero recovered the classic name of the Ministry of Education and Science.