1. What are the job prospects?

2. How long does it take to complete the program?

3. How will I know if I am a good candidate for the program?

4. How many hours a week will I be in class? 

5. How many hours of homework will there be?

6. What does the state licensing exam consist of?

7. What are some of the career opportunities that the degree/certificate can lead to?

8. What are the requirements for enrollment?

9. How do I get started?

10. Can I take classes online?

11. How hard is the program?

12. Do you accept transfer students?

 

 

1: What are the job prospects?

A recent nationwide study predicts a critical shortfall of reporters, representing 5500 court reporting job openings by 2018.  Approximately 2300 of these opportunities will occur in California.  Since the state only licenses about 100-150 new CSRs a year, new reporters go to work right away.

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2: How long does it take to complete the program?

The fastest anyone's gotten through the entire program is about 18 months, but this is extraordinary.  The national average is 3 to 6 years. Typical lengths are:

• Legal Transcription Technology - 2 years

• Certified Shorthand Reporter - 2 to 6 years

 

3: How will I know if I am a good candidate for the program?

You are focused, motivated, a self-starter, self-disciplined, and have good English skills.  You have the ability to sit and concentrate for long periods of time.

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4: How many hours a week will I be in class? 

As required by the Court Reporters Board of California, you will be in skill development classes a minimum of 10 hours a week. 

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5: How many hours of homework will there be?

We recommend you practice an additional 15 hours per week outside of class. Throughout your time in school, in addition to skills classes, you will be enrolled in a total of 20 units of academic courses.

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6: What does the state licensing exam consist of?

Three parts:  Dictation, English and Professional Practice.

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7: What are some of the career opportunities that the degree/certificate can lead to?

Court Reporter, Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR), Scopist, Broadcast Captioner, CART Provider, Deposition Reporter, Hearing Reporter, Transcriptionist Proofreader, Realtime Reporter, Registered Professional Reporter (RPR).

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8: What are the requirements for enrollment?

You must be accepted to College of Marin and be eligible for college freshman English.

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9: How do I get started?

Register online at marin.edu - for questions, please use the contact information provided on this page. Note that the first skills class, COUR 110, Theory of Machine Shorthand, is only offered in the Fall semester.

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10: Can I take classes online?

You will have remote access to skills classes via Zoom videoconferencing. Some of the academic requirements are offered online.

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11: How hard is the program?

Be prepared to work very hard! Our expectations are high. When you're ready to reach your full court reporting potential, this is your program.

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12: Do you accept transfer students?

Yes. Please note that we teach StenEd theory but welcome transfer students who have learned other theories.

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