The construction industry is showing strong growth rates through the last few years. Charts in Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4 show some of the most important indicators about the industry potential and market size of construction. It should be noted that the easily accessible building materials, such as cement, doors, and windows in the domestic market, are positive indicators for the construction industry. The growth in the construction industry has led to a wide array of job opportunities for both domestic and foreign job seekers. Despite the anticipated budget deficit of USD 87 billion in 2016, construction projects are expected to be completed without any hindrances. The residential sector is also expected to grow significantly, as the rapid population growth

(population is expected to reach ~37 million over the next 10 years) in the Kingdom has stemmed a need for ~3 million housing units by 2025 [Source (Research, 2016); (Turner & Townsend, 2016)].

Surveying job postings of the top firms that gets their revenue from practicing architecture shows that the required skills can vary based on the job but, in general, key skills can be classified into the following categories: (LinkedIn, n.d.).

Knowledge of codes and ability to interpret them and ensure designs meet codes is an essential aspect of any architecture job (Quirk, 2017-07).

Using computer programs and processes are the key skills for architectural design:

Awareness of the requirement and process of different kinds of buildings and construction, their settings and its

surroundings require the following skills:

The following skills need to be pursued and developed through studying and practicing on real projects:

Moreover, job sites like LinkedIn statics show that job postings for architects are almost more than half of the engineering job postings (shown in Figure 8). It also shows that knowledge of computer software like AutoCAD, Sketch UP, Revit and Photoshop are essential skills specially for fresh graduates. Figure 9 shows the distribution of the key skills where architectural design comes first then computer software (LinkedIn, n.d.).

Required experience and skills vary based on the job responsibilities and description. Alison Doyle in her article about most wanted architectural skills argued that accreditation is more important to architects than being licensed. Moreover, she claimed that LEED accreditation is the most wanted skill for different firms. Figure 10 and Figure 11 illustrates the most wanted skills as per statistics of Job Seeking site (Doyle, n.d.).

The architecture schools within the Kingdom were surveyed. Table 1 summarizes the results of curriculum of the surveyed architectural educational institutes in Saudi Arabia. The survey shows that there are eighteen universities that teach architecture in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While 28% out of these eighteen are private universities, 22% of them are graduating only female architects. Basic results showed that the study plan of these universities varies widely in their curriculum areas, position statements, program objectives and contents. Table 1 also shows big differences in the number of elective courses and their topics. While Hail and Umm Al-Qura universities do not have any elective courses, Taibah university has eight elective courses and the average of the rest is three courses. The most critical remark was the big difference in number of design courses and this, of course, affects the complexity of their projects. King Faisal, Prince Sultan and Taibah offer only three courses in addition to the graduation project. While King Fahd university students attend 10 design studios. Results also show that only half of the surveyed schools give a deep and detailed building science courses (Joseph, n.d.).

King Saud, King Fahd and King Abul-Aziz universities are the oldest and have the most developed curriculum and constitutes the reference for the rest of the architecture universities. Their curriculum is based on a hybrid model that started with the Bauhaus generated American model then transformed after a series of developments into unique programs. Students are enrolled for three different phases:

- General studies: It aims to develop their basic design skills and drawing abilities while assimilating theoretical knowledge related to the built environment disciplines.

-Intermediate phase (Junior): In this phase, core applied and theoretical knowledge is developed and advanced architectural engineering skills are being developed.

-Professional phase (senior): This phase aims to build environmental and global awareness and developing management skills. There are university requirements, college requirements, and departmental requirements. Most of the university requirements are required in the first year.

All the other universities curricula are different modified versions of this curriculum (Joseph, n.d.).

Some of the surveyed curricula were oriented to environmental studies where sociology and human culture have an impact on the social and physical environment and their design related courses are in the core of the courses, while in other cases engineering and building science where courses of mechanical and electrical in addition to structure and design courses are in the core courses, while the rest are elective courses. In the third orientation, architecture design pedagogy is supplemented with history and theory courses.

All the surveyed curricula were split somehow into three different phases:

Programs’ Objectives:

Some of the surveyed programs target graduate architects with extra engineering backgrounds, others target graduate architects with humanities and environmental backgrounds. They all have a dose of building science background. The overall objectives vary according to the position statement of each program. In general, the objectives can be rounded in the following points: