The BIRS Training Program is a 10-week entry-level classroom-based program provided to newly hired Intelligence Research Specialists (IRS) as they begin complex and demanding careers in intelligence analysis. The course offers intensive training and development of the analytical skills necessary to support DEA drug investigations and programs. The BIRS course prepares the IRSs for a broad range of domestic and foreign assignments and is designed to enhance individual abilities to formulate and present analytical recommendations to investigators, prosecutors, policy makers, and other agencies. The BIRS is 46 instructional days and consists of 370 hours of instruction. The average number of students per iteration of the program is approximately 25 students.