The Backster School of Lie Detection in San Diego, California is directed by Cleve Backster, who has developed a widely used procedure for chart analysis. Classes are two evenings a week and half a day on Saturday for a total of 320 hours, followed by a field project requiring completion of 30 polygraph examinations. The Backster School is not affiliated with any government grant programs, so students have to pay out of pocket or arrange funding on their own.
The Texas Law Enforcement Polygraph School in Austin is run by the state's Department of Public Safety (DPS). It graduated its 18th class in 2010. The DPS School only accepts students with four-year university degrees or those sponsored by a local, state or federal law-enforcement agency. The program requires 200 hours of classroom instruction over 10 weeks, as well as a field project consisting of 10 polygraph examinations. Housing for seven days and meals Monday through Friday are provided at the DPS Training Academy, with all costs included in the tuition.
The Academy for Scientific Investigative Training in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offers a 316-hour program through 11 classes that cover the history of polygraph technology, chart interpretation, interviewing subjects, question selection and observation. Postgraduate work is required for completion of the program, but it does not involve conducting actual polygraphs. Students have various options for their postgraduate project, from attending seminars to completing book reviews.
Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the International Academy of Polygraph limits enrollment to active members of a local, state or federal law-enforcement agency, or anyone who has completed 60 hours of study at a college or university. Its 10-week program requires eight of those weeks to be completed in a classroom. After classroom instruction, students have an additional two weeks to complete 20 polygraph examinations in order to obtain their degree. Staff includes professionals in the fields of law, psychology, physiology and polygraph methodology.