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العربية

Visual and fine arts

4–5 years
You study
Drawing and painting, Sculpture
Jobs
Visual artist, Art teacher
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 Painters, sculptors and other visual artists: 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 Visual and fine arts taught?

Taught at 9 universities: 9 government and 0 private.

Riyadh

Makkah

Madinah

Qassim

Eastern Province

Hail

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

Visual and fine artsFashion designInterior design
Field in the survey
Arts and humanitiesArts and humanitiesArts and humanities
Length of study
4–5 years4–5 years4–5 years
Taught at
9 universities10 universities24 universities
Men
OfferedNot found offeredOffered
Women
OfferedOfferedOffered
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)
10,31910,31910,319
An occupation of its graduates and generative AI
not exposedminimal exposureminimal 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 Visual and fine arts students learn?

Studying drawing, painting, sculpture and calligraphy, and making artworks.

  • Drawing and painting
  • Sculpture
  • Arabic calligraphy
  • Art history

In Arabic: الفنون البصرية

How many years is Visual and fine arts?

4–5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.

What jobs do Visual and fine 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:

  • Visual artist
  • Art teacher
  • Calligrapher
  • Gallery curator

Studio, gallery or school work; hours are flexible and change with each project.

  • Moderate physical effort

What do Visual and fine 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.

Age 25–296,300 SAR
Age 35–4411,200 SAR

What is unemployment in the arts and humanities field?

Unemployment among Saudi graduates of the field (bachelor’s, all ages)3:

  • 20211442–1443 AH19.9%
  • 20221443–1444 AH16.3%
  • 20231444–1445 AH13.9%
  • 20241445–1446 AH11.5%

For the whole field, not this major alone. Past measurement, not a forecast.

Official decisions and signals

  • The job “Visual artist” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)6
  • Target: raise household spending on culture and entertainment in the Kingdom from 2.9% to 6%. in force since December 2030 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1452 AH) (announced target)7

Related majors

All majors in Arts and design · Labour-market figures for all fields
Not sure what to choose?Start with what you like · 3 minutes

References

  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators” (BLS 27-1013), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
  2. Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Painters, sculptors and other visual artists” (COPS 53122), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
  3. General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Arts and humanities”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
  4. Programme pages on university websites, last checked 26 October 2026 (15 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
  5. International Labour Organization, global index of occupational exposure to generative AI, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
  6. International Labour Organization · occupation code 2651, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
  7. Saudi Vision 2030, 25 April 2016 (18 Rajab 1437 AH).