A Socioeconomic and Historical Interpretation of the Place of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities in the Saudi HE Ecosystem: Job Market Implications

Abstract

The article reviews the sociocultural and historical development of the higher education system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with focus on its impacts on the current makeup of bachelor's degrees offered by universities in the Kingdom. Literature and analysis of data from forty-six tertiary education websites indicate that while there is an abundance of programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) and business, there is a significant paucity of degrees in the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (SSAH). The authors argue that the Kingdom's official development plan, Vision 2030, requires a more precise appendage when it comes to higher education. An analysis of data on bachelor's degrees reveals that both the degree landscape and students' choices of college majors favor certain STEM and business programs. STEM and business programs have been historically promoted by the traditional government policy emanating from the need to prepare Saudi students to obtain jobs in the petrochemical industry. This article posits that the excessive promotion of some STEM and business programs has engendered the neglect of the social sciences, arts, and humanities programs that play an equally vital role in students' holistic educational development. It further predicates that the paucity of degrees in these STEM fields would undermine the government's desire, to diversify an economy that has been heavily dependent on oil for more than half a century as expressed in Vision 2030.