Careers in Psychology
What can I do with a psychology Major?
275 North Syndicate, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
Phone: 651/641-8827 FAX: 651/603-6240
Home page: www.csp.edu
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CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
What can I do with a Psychology Major?
Dear Psychology Major,
Recently I have had numerous inquiries from a wide array of individuals; prospective
psychology students, high school counselors, graduating seniors, and even colleagues asking the
same question: “Just what can one do with a Psychology Major once they have graduated?”
After giving it some thought, I decided to write down a few thoughts and make them available for
those that ask.
The year I graduated from college with a Psychology Major was the poorest job market
for graduating seniors in 20 years. When I announced to people that I had a Psychology Major,
the common response was, “All you can do with a Psychology Major is empty bedpans at
Central State Mental Hospital!” That is the same type of comment you often hear today, but
believe me, It’s not true! Concordia University Psychology Majors have shown how wrong
this is!
The future looks very bright for the Psychology Major! This is based on both past
performance of our graduates and future projections for jobs in the year 2005. Our graduate’s
record is very impressive. In recent years, more than 80 Concordia University Psychology
Majors have been accepted into graduate and professional schools. The remaining graduates
have been hired at the bachelors degree level in a position using their psychology background
(e.g. counseling runaway youth, chemical dependency counseling, counseling emotionally
disturbed adolescents, working in child protection, etc.), or have been hired in positions in
business or industry.
On the following pages you will find a series of questions and answers commonly asked
concerning a Psychology Major’s future prospects. If you have any additional questions, please
give me a call at (651) 641-8827 or e-mail me at bredehoft@csp.edu to set up an appointment and
talk them over.
Being the eternal optimist I am, I believe you can do anything you put your mind to with
your Psychology Major! The only thing holding you back – is you!
Sincerely,
David J. Bredehoft
David J. Bredehoft, Ph.D., L.P., CFLE
Professor of Psychology and Family Studies
Chair, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Is Psychology right for you?
Is a career in psychology right for you? The answers to the following questions will give you an
indication is a career in psychology or a related field is a good choice for you.
 Do you have a strong interest in human behavior?
 Are you emotionally healthy and stable?
 Are you an effective communicator orally and in writing?
 Do you enjoy thinking about theories and ideas?
 Do you enjoy working with people as opposed to things?
 Have you read popular books on psychology and found them interesting and insightful?
 Have you taken a general course in psychology and found it to be interesting and
challenging?
 Do others tell you that you have empathy and are sensitive to others?
If your answer is “yes” to most of these questions, then psychology or a related field is probably a
good choice for you.
Is Psychology a popular field of study?
Yes! In the spring of 1999, registrar Elizabeth Coleman surveyed students currently enrolled at
Concordia University and identified psychology majors, minors, and concentrators. The registrar
identified a total of 109 students studying psychology as majors, minors, or emphasis. This
accounts for approximately one out of every seven traditional students at Concordia.
Next to CSAL and education, psychology is the single largest liberal arts major. The demand for
the psychology major is extremely high. Psychology is one of the fastest growing majors on the
Concordia campus.
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Employment outlook
Will there continue to be a strong demand for individuals trained in psychology? Yes! There
will be both locally and nationally. According to Minnesota Careers 2000, human services is one
of the largest growing areas of employment with well above average growth reported. Of the top
50 occupations with the brightest prospects, psychologists rank fourth, and Minneapolis-St. Paul
is expected to be the tenth fastest market for psychologists in the nation.
In addition, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook the following jobs are expected
to have national job growth between now and 2008. Many of these jobs are the type of
employment our graduates currently are employed in following graduation.
Personal care and home health aides
Social and human service assistants
Residential counselors
Physical therapy assistants and aides
Occupational therapy assistants and aides
Correctional officers
Social workers
Counselors
Recreation workers
Recreational therapists
Psychologists
58.1%
52.7%
46.3%
43.7%
39.8%
38.7%
36.1%
25%
19.2%
13.4%
11.4%
Do Concordia graduates get accepted into graduate school?
Yes! Concordia students are extremely successful and competitive in graduate and professional
schools across the country. Approximately 50-60% of our psychology graduates continue on to
go to professional or graduate school immediately after graduation. Our students have been
accepted for post graduate work at the M.A., Ph.D., Psy. D., and J.D. levels in such prestigious
schools as:
 University of Minnesota
 University of Alberta
 University of Wisconsin Madison
 University of Louisville
 The Ohio State University
 St. Thomas University
 Stanford Law School
 University of St. Mary’s
 Washington University in St. Louis
 Springfield College
 Rutgers University
 Concordia University, St. Paul
 University of South Dakota
 Concordia University, River Forest
 University of North Dakota
 William Mitchell School of Law
 Florida State University
 University of Minnesota School of Law
 Purdue University
 Concordia Seminary - St. Louis
 University of Missouri
 Concordia Seminary – Fort Wayne
 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
 Augsburg College
 University of Wisconsin - River Falls
 Hamline University Law School
 Cleveland State University
 Minnesota School of Professional
Psychology
 Eastern Michigan University
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What makes Psychology at Concordia University unique?
The Psychology program at Concordia University possesses a number of unique features which
give it an edge over competing programs:
 A psychology internship (450 hours of supervised on-sight one-on-one work with clients).
For an updated copy of the Psychology Internship Manual email request to
bredehoft@csp.edu
 Opportunity for students to engage in research and report it at the Minnesota Undergraduate
Psychology Conference and the Minnesota Psychology Association annual meetings.
 Small class size and personal attention by faculty.
 Excellent track record (high percentage of graduating students accepted into graduate and
professional school, high percentage of graduating students hired at the bachelors degree
level in the field of psychology and human services).
 Compared to a national sample of psychology majors, Concordia psychology majors score
above the mean on standardized tests of psychology content.
 Concordia’s graduates are employed in a broad array of jobs following graduation.
Do Concordia Psychology Majors make an impact?
Yes! By the mere fact that in the last few years more than 80 of the graduates from this small
program have gone on to graduate school programs as diverse as psychology, school psychology,
social work, counseling, education, rehabilitation, family science, human development, home
economics education, and occupational therapy, as well as professional schools such as seminary,
psychology, and law suggests that these graduates have high community impact. Further,
anecdotal reports of graduates who have stayed in the workforce and have not gone on in higher
education suggest that they are well trained and are providing excellent service to the church and
community.
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Online Resources for Psychology Majors
http://www.iseek.org/ - The Internet System for Education and Employment Knowledge. This
website provides current information about education and careers in Minnesota.
http://www.bls.gov/ocohome.htm - The Occupational Outlook Handbook. This site contains
information about employment, wages, training, working conditions, trends, and outlook for
hundreds of occupations.
http://www.counseling.org/students/ - The American Counseling Association’s website. This site
contains information about graduate schools, programs, accreditation, and ACA membership.
http://www.apa.org/students/ - The American Psychological Association website for students.
This website contains information about student membership, career planning and outlook,
graduate schools and programs, and job hunting tips.
http://www.careeradvisor.com/ - Career Advisor. This site contains information on individual
careers as well as links to relevant sites. You will also find information on wages and
employment outlook for a number of careers.
http://www.review.com/career/templates/index.cfm – The Princeton Review Online. This
website contains information and tips on looking for a career, and internship, interviewing,
writing a résumé and much more. You will also find a fun and helpful list called “Top ten careers
for people who…. .”
http://www.forensicpsychology.org/ - American College of Forensic Psychology. This site
contains information on continuing education in the area of psychology and law. You will also
find a link to the American Journal of Forensic Psychology.
http://users.erols.com/fezworth/ - PsycHits: The Graduate Student’s Psychology Reference Site.
This website contains career information, reference materials, as well as updates on current
events that affect graduate students. You will also find links to numerous sites with information
on topics such as ethics, policy-making, history, research statistics, professional development, and
careers.
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Additional Sources of information
American Psychological Association. (1993). Careers in psychology. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
American Psychological Association. (1993). Getting in: A step-by-step plan for gaining
admission to graduate school in psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
American Psychological Association. (1993). Graduate study in psychology: 1992 edition with
1993 addendum. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Bolles, R. N. (1993). What color is your parachute? A practical manual for job-hunters & career
changers. Berkley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
Kilburg, R. R. (Ed.). (1991). How to manage your career in psychology. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1990). Occupational outlook handbook.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics.
Woods, P. J. & Wilkinson, C. S. (1987). Is psychology the major for you? Planning for your
undergraduate years. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
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