Culinary arts
Diploma- You study
- Cooking basics, Food safety
- Jobs
- Cook, Sous chef
- Average for the services field · Age 25–29
- Sample too small
For the services field in the Labour Force Survey3.
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Cooks, restaurant: 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 Culinary arts taught?
- King Abdulaziz UniversityMakkah
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityRiyadh · women
- University of BishaAsir
- Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz UniversityRiyadh
4 universities where we checked the programme page4; not a full list.
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
| Culinary arts | Sport science | Hospitality and hotel management |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Services | Services | Services |
| Length of study | ||
| Diploma | 4–5 years | 4–5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| List not checked | 13 universities | 7 universities |
| Men | ||
| Not confirmed | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Not confirmed | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 94.8% | 94.8% | 94.8% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 16,979 | 16,979 | 16,979 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| — | minimal exposure | gradient three of four |
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 Culinary arts students learn?
Studying how to prepare and serve food and run kitchens.
- Cooking basics
- Food safety
- Pastry and baking
- Kitchen management
In Arabic: فنون الطهي
What jobs do Culinary arts graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Cook
- Sous chef
- Kitchen supervisor
- Pastry maker
Kitchen work standing for long hours, including nights and weekends.
- Sometimes shifts
- High physical effort
What do Culinary arts graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Services” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the services 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 “Cook” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)6
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Cooks, restaurant” (BLS 35-2014), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Cooks” (COPS 63200), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Services”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
- Programme pages on university websites, last checked 24 October 2026 (13 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 5120, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).