So you’ve decided you want to be a court reporter. Now comes the task of finding a program that fits you and the goals you are trying to accomplish. But where do you start? How do you find court reporting programs that are reputable and will allow you to successfully learn the skills required to become a court reporter?
Where can I find good court reporting programs?
The National Court Reporters Association works to provide guidelines and requirements for court reporting educational programs. Working with the U.S. Department of Education, NCRA’s purpose is to ensure that good quality programs are available to you, the potential student. They know that you need to have a way to find good programs and learn more about them so that you can choose one that’s right for you.
How does school program accreditation and certification work?
NCRA and the U.S. Department of Education have established a list of qualities a program must possess in order to receive accreditation. NCRA has established the Council on Approved Student Education (CASE), an organization which establishes the General Requirements and Minimum Standards (GRMS). This set of standards is the test each program is run through to receive their accreditation and become a school that is NCRA Certified.
As you begin to investigate programs, ask your educational institution whether they are NCRA certified. If they are, you can rest assured that this program is credible and offers a valid program.
Not only does NCRA help programs receive certification, they also have created a list of programs in the United States that are available for you to choose from. Click here to see all of the accredited and approved court reporting programs in the country. There are also a couple in Canada that are accredited and certified.
What types of programs are available?
As you review this list of programs, you will see letters and initials in the descriptions. These letters designate what type of program is being offered. Here are a list of the types of programs you can participate in:
(D) = Day program leading to graduation
(N) = Complete night program leading to graduation
(EC)= Evening courses – must transfer to day to complete program
(A) = Associate degree
(B) = Baccalaureate degree
(BC)= Broadcast captioning
(CT)= CART provider
(ON)= Online program
You can see, there are a variety of ways to receive your education. Are you able to attend classes during the day? There are day programs for you. Do you need to find classes that are available in the evening? There are complete night programs for you. Are you interested in the specialty of broadcast captioning? You can find programs specifically for this interest.
The NCRA list of programs is a good place to start. Once you find programs you are interested in, contact the program directly to gather further details and information.
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