As approved by its Board of Governors, the academy will sponsor 10 seminars on general police issues, 27 specialized seminars, four specialized conferences, and 10 seminar geared toward the training needs of the former East Germany. The courses vary in duration from two weeks to several days and attempt to unite both practical applicability and academic rigor. The specialized offerings cover a wide range of issues from crime control planning and women in police top management to latest trends in forensic science and organized crime. Each course description includes the date of the course, learning objectives, study topics, the intended audience, and the conference language. The courses are open to German upper level police officers and foreign participants, though foreign participants may be charged a fee. A special information seminar about the German police is conducted in English.