Music and performing arts
4–5 years- You study
- Music theory
- Jobs
- Musician, Stage actor
- 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 Musicians and singers: 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 Music and performing arts taught?
Taught at 4 universities: 4 government and 0 private.
Riyadh
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
- Riyadh University of ArtsGovernment
Asir
- King Khalid 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
| Music and performing arts | Fashion design | Visual and fine arts |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Arts and humanities | Arts and humanities | Arts and humanities |
| Length of study | ||
| 4–5 years | 4–5 years | 4–5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 4 universities | 10 universities | 9 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Not found offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 88.5% | 88.5% | 88.5% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 10,319 | 10,319 | 10,319 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| not exposed | 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 Music and performing arts students learn?
Studying music, theatre and performing in front of an audience.
- Music theory
- Playing and singing
- Acting and speech delivery
- Stage directing
In Arabic: الموسيقى والفنون الأدائية
How many years is Music and performing arts?
4–5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Music and performing 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:
- Musician
- Stage actor
- Theatre director
- Music teacher
Rehearsals and shows are often at night and on weekends; you may travel for shows.
- Sometimes shifts
- Moderate physical effort
- Some travel
What do Music and performing arts 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
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Musicians and singers” (BLS 27-2042), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Musicians and singers” (COPS 51122), 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 2652, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- Saudi Vision 2030, 25 April 2016 (18 Rajab 1437 AH).