Court Reporting
We provide students with the academic foundation and skills required to succeed in a professional reporting career. We have been teaching machine stenography courses since the 1920s.
Our online Court Reporting program meets the Court Reporters Board of California prescribed course of study and enables students to enter into a challenging and financially rewarding career.
Degrees
A.S. & B.S.
Accredited by
WSCUC
100%
Online
Explore
Court reporters are responsible for producing the official record of legal trials, hearings, and depositions—making them integral to the legal system.
Overview
Choose Your Path
Our Court Reporting program trains students to use an abbreviated method of writing the spoken word to text on a unique keyboard using a language called stenography. With translation software, it is then converted into English text in real time. Trained captioners use this process to provide real time translation for consumers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.
Our Court Reporting program is offered fully online.
We start the program twice a year, in the spring and fall quarters.
Students are registered at part-time status, taking 6-8 units – but the workload is of a full-time program.
Court Reporting Theory & Speed Building courses meet live via Zoom twice each week, allowing the instructor interaction and a synchronous learning format.
Depending on your level, courses are either two 2-hour classes per week (for beginners) or two 1-hour classes per week (for speed builders). Videos are recorded and uploaded for students to access. It is an integral part of program that students attend the video classes live or watch the recorded video.
To move adequately through the program, students should spend 20-30 hours per week on steno machine.
Program Highlights
100% of students who complete the program, become licensed, and seek a job in court reporting are gainfully employed as court or freelance reporters.
Transfer units are accepted from all accredited institutions.
Students participate in an apprenticeship training program of 60 hours.
Annual salaries of captioners and court reporters can exceed $80,000. According to an industry outlook study, there are more than 5,500 vacant reporting jobs.
Court reporting students learn to write on a stenotype machine, which has 22 keys. By spelling words phonetically, a trained stenographer can report more than 200 words per minute.
Degrees
Associate in Science – 108 units
Meets the CRBC curriculum requirements to be qualified to sit for the CA CSR examination. Students may not need to take all of the CRT classes, depending upon ability to advance through the speed levels.
Bachelor of Science – 181 units
Meets the CRBC curriculum requirements to be qualified to sit for the CA CSR examination. Students may not need to take all of the CRT classes, depending upon ability to advance through the speed levels.
Bachelor of Science Degree Completion – 181 units
Current California CSR licensees and other equivalent licensees may be eligible to enroll in a degree completion program if they possess a current “active” status California CSR or other equivalent license or certificate and show verification of a minimum of one year of reporting experience as an official or freelance reporter during the previous ten years. 116 units is awarded for CSR License and reporting experience.
Learn more about career opportunities by visiting Bureau of Labor Statistics and The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA).
Careers
Your Future
There continues to be openings for court reporters and captioners throughout the United States. Career paths in court reporting are versatile, providing structure and flexibility for those who want independence.
Court Reporting graduates can find work in various environments from courts to sports arenas, television studios, theaters, universities, and convention centers.
Consider these careers in Court Reporting:
Judicial Reporter
Freelance Reporter
Broadcast Captioner
CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) Reporter
Contact Us
We pride ourself on offering a small and personable environment so you get the guidance and support you need to succeed. Contact us if you have questions or need assistance.
April Huerta
Admissions Counselor
(209) 490-8359
[email protected]
Pam Closs
Department Chair
(209) 235-2941
[email protected]
Mission
We prepare students for meaningful careers and professions through a high-quality educational experience, strongly informed by the liberal arts, and directed to the specific and changing needs of students from diverse ethnic, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds.
