Your introductory courses to psychology will likely cover the major subject areas and concerns of psychology including the processes of the mind and human behavior. These courses will likely study the history of psychology and how the study and philosophy has developed since Freud's time. Psychology's most common issues will also be covered, such as memory, language, emotions, sensation and perception. You will likely study abnormal cases in psychology, their causes and results, as well as the applications of experimental psychology. You may also study briefly psychology's relationship with the law, as well as take a course in statistics.
Depending on your college, you may have a choice of a concentration in forensic science, choosing courses on specific topics that particularly interest you. These intermediate courses delve more deeply into subjects pertaining to forensic psychology, such as child and adolescent psychology, organizational psychology, social behavioral and family psychology, psychology of substance abuse and criminology, among others. Your academic adviser may recommend a specific curriculum to you, depending on what kind of career you would like to pursue.
These advanced courses in forensic psychology will likely have you apply your skills and trade in real world environments, such as mental hospitals, prisons or rehabilitation centers. This fieldwork may be part of a class or credited internship where you may assist professionals in an institutional environment and perform diagnostic interviews in individual or group settings, take notes and make observations, apply case management and attend conferences. Students near the end of the course may consider their counselor-client relationships and may be examined on them.
Your college may require you to take electives credits before graduation. These courses will be of your choosing, likely related to your major, such as sociology, anthropology, and law enforcement, among others. These electives, however, may also be taken outside of the forensic psychology field, such as a course in literature or a history course not covered in your major.