About The Program – Maryland Community College System's Court Reporter Training Program

WHY COURT REPORTING

If you are looking to embark on a new and exciting career, or have thought about a career change and think court reporting might be the answer, you’ve come to the right place. A career in court reporting and captioning is not only rewarding, it is in demand now more than ever in our industry, with thousands of exciting and lucrative job opportunities around the world.

A court reporter, also known as a “stenographer,” is a highly trained professional who provides an integral and necessary service to our legal system. As dedicated custodians of the record, court reporters rely on a highly refined set of skills to accomplish the task of capturing the spoken word in realtime with the use of a Stenotype machine, a special shorthand keyboard.

The Maryland Community College System’s Court Reporter Training Program comes under their Adult Continuing Education Department and is a non-credit course. We offer a cost-effective way to train for the exciting and financially rewarding profession of court reporting. Aside from the requirement that applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, and be proficient in English, grammar and punctuation, there are no other “pre-requisites” or previous education necessary to enter our program.

Take the QUIZ to see if steno is right for you!

Notable perks of becoming a court reporter:

You can become a court reporter in just two years
Court reporting offers employment security and can pay a six-figure income
Court reporters and captioners have the opportunity to work in interesting and exciting venues such as courtrooms, schools, sports stadiums, television studios, high-profile events, and more
Set your own schedule and choose where and how often you want to work
You can travel the world as a freelance court reporter
Court reporting is like learning speed texting and a new language all in one
Find great reward in your career by transcribing live events for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

DESCRIPTIONS & CURRICULUM

New students entering the program must start by taking Theory I, which begins in September of each year, followed by Theory II in the spring trimester. Besides tuition, beginning Theory students must purchase a StenEd Theory pack, rent or purchase a stenotype machine or keyboard app by the start of the first class, are required to have at least the student version of Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) software, and sign up for My Realtime Coach (RTC). The cost for RTC is covered in the tuition payment.

Completion of the entire program takes two to three years with two being the goal. This is a self-paced course once students enroll in Speed Development. Students who practice every day and complete all the recommended assignments in RTC, attend class regularly, participate in discussion and read-backs will be on track to complete the program in two years or less.

Course Schedule Scholarship

Theory I
(Starting in the Fall Trimester (September/October) of each year): Conflict-free, Realtime Theory will be taught using the StenEd Realtime Theory Textbook, Volume I. Students will master the StenEd keyboard and become familiar with finger strokes and how to write on the stenotype machine. The course will cover Lessons 1 through 20 in the StendEd Realtime textbook. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the StenEd theory taught in Theory I by being able to accurately and proficiently complete the exercises, transcribe classroom dictation, and read back in class.
- Classes meet Mon & Wed, 7:00-9:00 pm ET, and are conducted live via Zoom.
- Students will use Realtime Coach to access practice materials, receive immediate feedback from all exercises (writing & readback), and track their progress. Material is laid out in a prescriptive fashion to keep students on track and practicing for theory mastery.
Theory II
(Starting in the Spring Trimester (January) of each year): Conflict-free, Realtime Theory will be taught using the StenEd Realtime Theory Textbook, Volume I. This course is a continuation of Theory I. Students must pass Theory I before they can take Theory II. This course will cover Lessons 21-40. Students will possess the knowledge and ability to write at a minimum of 30 to 40 wpm at the end of the course and be ready to move on to Speed Development.
- Classes meet Mon & Wed, 7:00-9:00 pm ET, and are conducted live via Zoom.
- Students will use Realtime Coach to access practice materials, receive immediate feedback from all exercises (writing & readback), and track their progress. Material is laid out in a prescriptive fashion to keep students on track and practicing for theory mastery.
Speed Development
(Offered during Spring, Summer & Fall Trimesters): The focus of this course will be dictation of Literary, Jury Charge, and Q & A starting at 60 wpm. Students will apply their knowledge of the StenEd theory acquired in Theory I and II to help them increase their accuracy and speed. Speed development tests start at 60 wpm. Students must pass two tests in each category (Literary, Jury Charg,e and Q & A) with 95 percent accuracy to move on to the next speed. Medical and legal terminology will be introduced through dictation and RTC exercises. Students will also start creating their own personal dictionary utilizing computer-aided translation software.

As Students progress to write at 100 wpm and higher (120, 140, 160, 180, 200, and 225), they will start to incorporate briefs and other techniques to help them increase their speeds. Students will also begin drills to work on correct punctuation of transcripts and will continue to build their personal dictionary.

All students must have a laptop to bring to class to work on dictionary development and realtime translation. After passing the second 180 Q&A test, students can take an internship to prepare for work in the field.
- Tue, 7:00-9:00 pm ET classes conducted live via Zoom with time for open discussion and Q&A, and for live dictation.
- Two hours per week and more, unlimited open-communication time for discussion and Q&A with teachers as a group and/or one-on-one via the community college’s Canvas program.
- Online practice and testing will be conducted through the Realtime Coach platform, the same platform used by the National Court Reporters Association for nationwide certifications. Students will have access to both additional practice and required tests 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. Immediate grading and feedback of both practice and tests are included.
Internships
Students shadow working court reporters on depositions, examinations under oath, administrative hearings and court trials. This two-four month period affords them the opportunity to see what all is required of a court reporter before, during and after the jobs they cover.
Legal/Medical Terminology
Students are required to complete a course in both legal and medical terminology. These programs can be taken online in as little as three months, either self-paced or instructor-led, are inexpensive, and some free of charge. (See sample links below)
- https://www.ed2go.com/mhcc/SearchResults.aspx?SearchTerms=legal%20terminology
- https://www.dmu.edu/medterms/
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Certificate of completion will be awarded upon passing two tests in each category, at each speed (180 Literary, 200 Jury Charge, 225 Q&A), and providing proof of completion of the Legal and Medical Terminology classes. Once they have their professional translation software and are able to translate, edit and produce transcripts, students will be ready to begin their career as Court Reporters.

Course Schedule Program Fees & Material