Software engineering
4–5 years- You study
- Requirements analysis, Software design
- Jobs
- Software engineer, Software developer
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Software engineers and designers: 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 Software engineering taught?
Taught at 18 universities: 9 government and 9 private.
Riyadh
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
- Al Yamamah UniversityPrivate
- Alfaisal UniversityPrivate
- Prince Sultan UniversityPrivate · men and women
- Riyadh Elm UniversityPrivate · men and women
Makkah
- Umm Al-Qura UniversityGovernment · men and women
- University of JeddahGovernment · men and women
- University of Business and TechnologyPrivate
Madinah
- Prince Mugrin bin Abdulaziz UniversityPrivate · men and women
Qassim
- Mustaqbal UniversityPrivate · men and women
Eastern Province
- King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsGovernment
- University of Hafr Al BatinGovernment
- Al Yamamah UniversityPrivate
- Gulf CollegesPrivate
- Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd UniversityPrivate · men and women
Hail
- University of HailGovernment
Al-Jouf
- Jouf 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
| Software engineering | Computer science | Information systems |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| 18 universities | 38 universities | 20 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 Software engineering students learn?
Study how large software is designed, built, tested and maintained in an organised way.
- Requirements analysis
- Software design
- Software testing
- Project management
In Arabic: هندسة البرمجيات
How many years is Software engineering?
4–5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Software 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:
- Software engineer
- Software developer
- Quality tester
- Product manager
Computer work from an office or home.
Professional classification with the Saudi Council of Engineers.
What do Software engineering 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 “Software engineer” is strongly affected by AI (3 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 “Software developers” (BLS 15-1252), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Software engineers and designers” (COPS 21231), 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 2512, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).