Archaeology
4–5 years- You study
- Archaeology basics, Field excavation
- Jobs
- Archaeologist, Museum curator
- Average for the arts and humanities field · Age 25–29
- 6,300SAR
Average monthly pay in the arts and humanities field for Saudi bachelor’s holders, GASTAT Labour Force Survey 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3; many earn less. Pay in a first job is usually lower.
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Other professional occupations in social science: roughly stable (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH); Employment and Social Development Canada, June 2025 · Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 – Muharram 1447 AH)1,2. They are not a forecast for the Saudi market, nor by DataPulse.
Where is Archaeology taught?
Taught at 10 universities: 10 government and 0 private.
Riyadh
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
Makkah
- University of JeddahGovernment · women
Madinah
- Taibah UniversityGovernment · women
Qassim
- Qassim UniversityGovernment · men and women
Eastern Province
- Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityGovernment
Asir
- King Khalid UniversityGovernment
- University of BishaGovernment
Hail
- University of HailGovernment
Jazan
- Jazan UniversityGovernment · men
From university pages, admission guides and the Ministry’s Study in Saudi platform4. Gender is tagged where the university publishes it per programme.
Compare with…
A side-by-side view, not a judgement that one major is better. Figures are for the broad field, so two majors in one field share the same figures. Figures: bachelor’s, both sexes, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)35
| Archaeology | Sociology | Psychology |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Arts and humanities | Social sciences, journalism and media | Social sciences, journalism and media |
| Length of study | ||
| 4–5 years | 4–5 years | 4–5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 10 universities | 7 universities | 21 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 88.5% | 92.0% | 92.0% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 11.5% | 8.0% | 8.0% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 10,319 | 10,850 | 10,850 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| — | — | — |
Availability for men and women from university pages and the Ministry’s programmes platform; last checked 24 October 2026 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
What do Archaeology students learn?
Studying remains of ancient civilizations, and how to excavate and preserve them.
- Archaeology basics
- Field excavation
- Ancient civilizations
- Artifact conservation
In Arabic: الآثار
How many years is Archaeology?
4–5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Archaeology graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Archaeologist
- Museum curator
- Heritage guide
- Heritage researcher
Part of the work is at dig sites in the sun, part in a museum or lab.
- Mixed
- Sometimes outside the city
- Moderate physical effort
- Some travel
What do Archaeology graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Arts and humanities” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the arts and humanities field?
Unemployment among Saudi graduates of the field (bachelor’s, all ages)3:
For the whole field, not this major alone. Past measurement, not a forecast.
Official decisions and signals
- The job “Archaeologist” is moderately affected by AI (2 of 4). May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)6
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Anthropologists and archeologists” (BLS 19-3091), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Other professional occupations in social science” (COPS 41409), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Arts and humanities”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
- Programme pages on university websites, last checked 26 October 2026 (15 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
- International Labour Organization, global index of occupational exposure to generative AI, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- International Labour Organization · occupation code 2632, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).