You may also be a valuable source of information. You may assist judges and trial attorneys by organizing and searching for information in the official record. As a court reporter, you will use a stenotype machine to document all statements made in official proceedings. The machine allows you to press multiple keys simultaneously to record combinations of letters representing sounds, words or phrases. These symbols are electronically recorded and then translated and displayed as text in a process called computer aided transcription (CAT).

Court reporters hold many important responsibilities, both before and after transcribing events. You will:

• Create and maintain a computer dictionary used to translate keystroke codes or voice files into written text
• Customize the dictionary with parts of words, entire words or terminology specific to the proceeding, program or event (such as a religious service) you plan to transcribe
• Edit the computer-generated translation for correct grammar
• Ensure accurate identification of proper names and places
• Prepare written transcripts, make copies and provide information from the transcript to courts, counsels, parties and the public on request
• Develop procedures for easy storage and retrieval of all records

Click to see your earnings potential** as a court reporter in Northeast Ohio.

Job Outlook*

Employment of court reporters is expected to grow by 14 percent from 2010 to 2020, as fast as the average for all occupations. Those with experience and training in techniques for helping deaf and hard-of-hearing people, such as real-time captioning and Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART), will have the best job prospects.

Day in the Life information gathered from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, compiled by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, found at http://www.bls.gov/OCO/.

** Incomes provided by Salary.com represent industry averages. Actual income may vary by employer, experience and skill level.

Offering this program online affords students greater flexibility in scheduling their studies while managing job and family responsibilities. In addition, an online provides greater accessibility to students who live far from the physical campus, and who may have transportation concerns.

Goals:

• To provide practical “hands-on” experience in the area of judicial court reporting.
• To develop the students’ ability to generate a complete and accurate transcript.
• To promote ethical behavior and professionalism befitting the judicial court reporter.
• To provide career guidance and placement assistance for graduates after their externship.
• To foster grammar and speed building skills.
• To support the advancement of the judicial court reporting profession.

Objectives:

The curriculum is designed to provide students with a “hands-on” approach to gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the function of a court reporter while understanding the professional and ethical responsibilities of the position. Courses in Theory, Computer Aided Transcription, and Reporting Practices train the students for a career in judicial court reporting.  General courses in Transcript English, Oral Communications, Geography, and Vocabulary serve to supplement students’ education, thereby contributing to their overall knowledge base.  

This program leads to a position as a judicial court reporter or a scopist. As judicial court reporters, duties may include freelance court reporting, judicial reporting, swearing in the witness, producing a verbatim transcript of proceedings, editing and/or proofreading. As scopists, Graduates may provide support to court reporters in the production of trial or discovery transcripts (SOC code 23-2091).

To graduate, a student must achieve a minimum grade of “C” in all STE courses, and pass three 5-minute tests at 180 wpm literary, three 5-minute tests at 200 wpm jury charge and three 5-minute tests at 225 Q & A, all at 95% accuracy.

Core Courses			Course Hour
CDP 125	Introduction to Desktop Applications	-	4
CDP 140	Computer Aided Transcription 1	-	3
CDP 240	Computer Aided Transcription 2	-	3
*GEN 122	Written Communications 1	-	4
*GEN 123	Written Communications 2	-	4
*GEN 125	Oral Communications	-	4
*GEN 126	Introduction to Geography	-	4
*GEN 128	Vocabulary Building	-	4
MED 101	Medical Terminology	-	4
PAR 100	Legal Terminology	-	4
STE 110A	Theory Class One	-	5
STE 120A	Theory Class Two	-	5
STE 130A	Theory Class Three	-	5
STE 140	Speed Building 1A	-	3
STE 150	Speed Building 1B	-	3
STE 160	Speed Building 2A	-	3
STE 170	Speed Building 2B	-	3
STE 180	Speed Building 3A	-	3
STE 190	Speed Building 3B	-	3
STE 200	Speed Building 4A	-	3
STE 210	Speed Building 4B	-	3
STE 215	Transcript English	-	5
STE 220	Speed Building 5A	-	6
STE 230	Speed Building 5B	-	6
STE 240	Speed Building 5C	-	6
STE 290	Judicial Reporting Internship 1	-	3
STE 295	Judicial Reporting Internship 2	-	6
Total Credit Hours			109
*General Education Credit Hours			20

Summary of Estimated Online Court Reporting Associate Degree Program Costs (Academic Year 2012-2013)

• Total Estimated Tuition and Fees: 28,740.00
• Total Estimated Book, Materials and Equipment Costs: 6,814.00 (includes laptop, steno machine, and required software)