Occupational therapy
4 years + internship- You study
- Daily living skills
- Jobs
- Occupational therapist, Rehabilitation specialist
- Average for the health field · Age 25–29
- 10,500SAR
Average monthly pay in the health 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 Occupational therapists: 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 Occupational therapy taught?
Taught at 6 universities: 5 government and 1 private.
Riyadh
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health SciencesGovernment
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
Makkah
- King Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Batterjee Medical CollegePrivate · men and women
Madinah
- Taibah 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
| Occupational therapy | Physiotherapy | Speech and language therapy |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Health and welfare | Health and welfare | Health and welfare |
| Length of study | ||
| 4 years + internship | 4–5 years + internship | 4 years + internship |
| Taught at | ||
| 6 universities | 20 universities | 7 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 93.5% | 93.5% | 93.5% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 12,437 | 12,437 | 12,437 |
| 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 Occupational therapy students learn?
Helping people after illness or injury manage their daily activities on their own.
- Daily living skills
- Hand therapy
- Child rehabilitation
- Assistive devices
In Arabic: العلاج الوظيفي
How many years is Occupational therapy?
4 years, then an internship year (training after the degree). The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Occupational therapy graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Occupational therapist
- Rehabilitation specialist
- Paediatric therapist
- Assistive technology specialist
Hospital or rehab centre work, mostly by day.
- Sometimes outside the city
- Moderate physical effort
Professional classification and registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
What do Occupational therapy graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Health and welfare” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the health 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 “Occupational therapist” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)6
- A goal of the Health Sector Transformation Program is to provide enough doctors, nurses and health practitioners (no number given). October 2021 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1443 AH) (announced target)7
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Occupational therapists” (BLS 29-1122), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Occupational therapists” (COPS 31203), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Health and welfare”, 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 2269, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- Health Sector Transformation Program, 5 October 2021 (28 Safar 1443 AH).