Library and information science
4 years- You study
- Cataloguing, Information sources
- Jobs
- Librarian, Information specialist, Archivist
- Average for the social sciences field · Age 25–29
- Sample too small
For the social sciences field in the Labour Force Survey3.
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Librarians: 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 Library and information science taught?
Taught at 7 universities: 7 government and 0 private.
Riyadh
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
Makkah
- King Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Umm Al-Qura UniversityGovernment
Madinah
- Taibah UniversityGovernment · women
Eastern Province
- Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityGovernment
Asir
- University of BishaGovernment
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
| Library and information science | Media and journalism | Film and audio-visual production |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Social sciences, journalism and media | Social sciences, journalism and media | Arts and humanities |
| Length of study | ||
| 4 years | 4 years | 4 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 7 universities | 18 universities | 7 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 92.0% | 92.0% | 88.5% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 8.0% | 8.0% | 11.5% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 10,850 | 10,850 | 10,319 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| — | — | minimal exposure |
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 Library and information science students learn?
Study how to organise, preserve and give access to information, books and records.
- Cataloguing
- Information sources
- Records management
- Archive preservation
In Arabic: المكتبات والمعلومات
How many years is Library and information science?
4 years. Length from the programme page on the university website6; it may differ between universities.
What jobs do Library and information science graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Librarian
- Information specialist
- Archivist
- Records manager
Work in a library or information centre, by day.
What do Library and information science graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Social sciences, journalism and media” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the social sciences 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 “Librarian” is strongly affected by AI (3 of 4). May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)7
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Librarians and media collections specialists” (BLS 25-4022), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Librarians” (COPS 51100), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Social sciences, journalism and media”, 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).
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Library and information science programme page, last checked 24 October 2026 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
- International Labour Organization · occupation code 2622, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).