Petroleum and mining engineering
5 years- You study
- Geology, Drilling, Reservoir engineering
- Jobs
- Petroleum engineer, Drilling engineer
- Average for the engineering field · Age 25–29
- 11,200SAR
Average monthly pay in the engineering 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 Mining engineers: 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 Petroleum and mining engineering taught?
Taught at 3 universities: 3 government and 0 private.
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
| Petroleum and mining engineering | Electrical engineering | Chemical engineering |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Engineering, manufacturing and construction | Engineering, manufacturing and construction | Engineering, manufacturing and construction |
| Length of study | ||
| 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 3 universities | 38 universities | 19 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Not confirmed | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 95.4% | 95.4% | 95.4% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 16,042 | 16,042 | 16,042 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| not exposed | not exposed | 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 Petroleum and mining engineering students learn?
Studies how oil, gas and minerals are extracted from underground.
- Geology
- Drilling
- Reservoir engineering
- Production
In Arabic: هندسة البترول والتعدين
How many years is Petroleum and mining engineering?
5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Petroleum and mining engineering graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Petroleum engineer
- Drilling engineer
- Reservoir engineer
- Mining engineer
Oil and mining sites are often far from cities; you work for weeks, then take leave.
- Field
- Sometimes shifts
- Often remote or far from cities
- Moderate physical effort
- Some travel
Professional classification from the Saudi Council of Engineers.
What do Petroleum and mining engineering graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Engineering, manufacturing and construction” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the engineering 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
- Firms with 5 or more engineers must have 30% Saudis among them. in force since June 2026 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 – Muharram 1448 AH) (binds firms, not individuals)6
- The job “Mining engineer” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)7
- Target for mining: 219,000 new jobs by 2030. in force since December 2030 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1452 AH) (announced target)8
- Target: raise local content in oil and gas to 75% by 2030. in force since December 2030 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1452 AH) (announced target)9
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers” (BLS 17-2151), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Mining engineers” (COPS 21330), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Engineering, manufacturing and construction”, 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).
- Ministry of Human Resources, 31 December 2025 (11 Rajab 1447 AH).
- International Labour Organization · occupation code 2146, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- Saudi Vision 2030, 19 June 2026 (4 Muharram 1448 AH).
- Saudi Vision 2030, 25 April 2016 (18 Rajab 1437 AH).