Cybersecurity
4–5 years- You study
- Network security, Cryptography
- Jobs
- Cybersecurity analyst, Penetration tester
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Information security analysts: leaning to growth (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 Cybersecurity taught?
Taught at 21 universities: 11 government and 10 private.
Riyadh
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
- Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (Technical College)Government
- Alfaisal UniversityPrivate
- Riyadh Elm UniversityPrivate · men and women
Makkah
- King Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Umm Al-Qura UniversityGovernment · men and women
- University of JeddahGovernment · men and women
- Dar Al-Hekma UniversityPrivate · women
- Effat UniversityPrivate
Madinah
- Taibah UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Prince Mugrin bin Abdulaziz UniversityPrivate · men and women
Qassim
- Buraydah Private CollegesPrivate · men and women
- Mustaqbal UniversityPrivate · men and women
- Onaizah CollegesPrivate
Eastern Province
- Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityGovernment
- University of Hafr Al BatinGovernment
- Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd UniversityPrivate · men and women
Asir
- King Khalid UniversityGovernment · men and women
Tabuk
- Fahad Bin Sultan UniversityPrivate
Hail
- University of HailGovernment
Najran
- Najran UniversityGovernment · men and women
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
| Cybersecurity | Information systems | Computer science |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Information and communication technology | Information and communication technology | Information and communication technology |
| Length of study | ||
| 4–5 years | 4–5 years | 4–5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 21 universities | 20 universities | 38 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 89.2% | 89.2% | 89.2% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 10.8% | 10.8% | 10.8% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 12,356 | 12,356 | 12,356 |
| 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 Cybersecurity students learn?
Study how to protect systems, networks and data from hacking and cyber attacks.
- Network security
- Cryptography
- Penetration testing
- Digital forensics
In Arabic: الأمن السيبراني
How many years is Cybersecurity?
4–5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Cybersecurity graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Cybersecurity analyst
- Penetration tester
- Information security engineer
- Digital forensic investigator
Computer work; some places run shifts to keep watch over machines and programs.
- Sometimes shifts
What do Cybersecurity graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Information and communication technology” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the ICT 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 “Information security engineer” 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 “Information security analysts” (BLS 15-1212), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Cybersecurity specialists” (COPS 21220), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Information and communication technology”, 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 2529, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).