Chemical engineering
5 years- You study
- Chemistry, Process operations
- Jobs
- Process engineer, Production engineer
- Average for the engineering field · Age 25–29
- 11,200SAR
Average monthly pay in the engineering 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 Chemical engineers: 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 Chemical engineering taught?
Taught at 19 universities: 15 government and 4 private.
Riyadh
- Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic UniversityGovernment · men
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men
- Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (Technical College)Government
Makkah
- King Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- University of JeddahGovernment · men
Madinah
- Islamic University of MadinahGovernment · men
- Taibah UniversityGovernment · men
- Yanbu Industrial CollegePrivate · men
Eastern Province
- King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsGovernment
- King Faisal UniversityGovernment
- University of Hafr Al BatinGovernment
- Al-Fayha CollegePrivate
- Jubail Industrial CollegePrivate · men and women
- Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd UniversityPrivate · men and women
Asir
- King Khalid UniversityGovernment · men
Hail
- University of HailGovernment
Northern Borders
- Northern Border UniversityGovernment · men and women
Jazan
- Jazan UniversityGovernment · men and women
Najran
- Najran 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
| Chemical engineering | Electrical engineering | Electronics and communications engineering |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Engineering, manufacturing and construction | Engineering, manufacturing and construction | Engineering, manufacturing and construction |
| Length of study | ||
| 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 19 universities | 38 universities | 9 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 95.4% | 95.4% | 95.4% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 16,042 | 16,042 | 16,042 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| minimal exposure | not exposed | — |
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 Chemical engineering students learn?
Studies how raw materials are turned into chemical products in plants.
- Chemistry
- Process operations
- Heat and mass transfer
- Plant design
In Arabic: الهندسة الكيميائية
How many years is Chemical engineering?
5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Chemical engineering graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Process engineer
- Production engineer
- Safety engineer
- Plant engineer
Factories in industrial cities on shifts, usually outside town.
- Mixed
- Shifts and nights often
- Sometimes outside the city
- Moderate physical effort
Professional classification from the Saudi Council of Engineers.
What do Chemical engineering graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Engineering, manufacturing and construction” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the engineering 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
- Firms with 5 or more engineers must have 30% Saudis among them. in force since June 2026 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 – Muharram 1448 AH) (binds firms, not individuals)6
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Chemical engineers” (BLS 17-2041), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Chemical engineers” (COPS 21320), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Engineering, manufacturing and construction”, 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).
- Ministry of Human Resources, 31 December 2025 (11 Rajab 1447 AH).