The Court Reporting and Captioning program offers tuition-free career education and training in court reporting as performed in courtrooms and deposition settings. The program also prepares students for careers in the fields of captioning, transcription, and office support technology. The program is recognized by the Court Reporter’s Board of California to qualify students to sit for the California Certified Shorthand Reporter’s Examination. Licensed by the state, court reporters preserve all legal proceedings and submit their verbatim record as the official transcript.
IN ORDER FOR A PERSON TO QUALIFY FROM A SCHOOL TO TAKE THE STATE LICENSING EXAMINATION, THE PERSON SHALL COMPLETE A PROGRAM AT A RECOGNIZED SCHOOL. FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS THAT A COURT REPORTING PROGRAM MUST MEET IN ORDER TO BE RECOGNIZED, CONTACT: THE COURT REPORTERS BOARD OF CALIFORNIA; 2535 CAPITOL OAKS DRIVE, SUITE 230, SACRAMENTO, CA 95833, (916) 863-3664.
Each certificate of completion is designed to prepare students for employment opportunities starting with entry-level employment and progressing to advanced-skill-level captioning and court reporting employment. Since each certificate builds upon the last one, students should complete them in the following order:
- Proofreading
- Scoping
- Transcription and Office Support: Machine Writing OR Voice Writing
- Educational Captioning
- Court Reporting
Statement for Voice Writing Employment Opportunities: The licensure of court reporters using voice writing technology is still under review in the state of California; however, there are many immediate employment opportunities for captioners using voice writing to caption live speech in real time and voice writing court reporters are able to practice in state court systems in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Voice writing court reporters also work in the Federal Judicial System nationwide, the Military Court System, internationally, and the U.S. Congress. Source: https://nvra.org/nvra-certifications.
Most of the courses and certificates are tuition-free (with the exception of CTRP 044: Court Reporting Internship) and are offered through the School of Continuing Education. Students accrue completion hours rather than college credit. However, all courses are free from enrollment and registration fees. Noncredit courses are non-transferrable to a university.
Certificates
| Degree or Certificate Program | Award Type | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Court Reporting | Certificate of Completion | 240 - 344 hours |
| Educational Captioning | Certificate of Completion | 290 - 474 hours |
| Proofreading | Certificate of Completion | 298 - 324 hours |
| Scoping | Certificate of Completion | 432 - 474 hours |
| Transcription and Office Support: Machine Writing | Certificate of Completion | 304 - 490 hours |
| Transcription and Office Support: Voice Writing | Certificate of Completion | 288 - 398 hours |