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Judicial Reporting

The Anoka Technical College Judicial Reporting program offers three awards: an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree; and two related certificates: Broadcasting Captioning/CART and Scoping/Proofreading.

The Anoka Technical College Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Judicial Reporting is a 68-credit program designed to get graduates working as soon as possible. The academics are designed to be completed in two years. The speed requirement may be completed in two years or may take additional time. Coursework includes English, Legal and Medical Terminology, Business Law, Computer Technology and Machine Shorthand Theory.  

Students learn a conflict-free realtime theory that enables them to write efficiently on a realtime system starting in the first semester. Students learn theory in their first year of classes, then work to increase their speed and accuracy until they can capture literary material at 180 wpm, Jury Charge material at 200 wpm, and question-and-answer material at 225 wpm. Summer sessions are mandatory for Judicial Reporting students. 

Course Prerequisites

* The prerequisite for JRBC 1005 is ADSC 1003 Introduction to Keyboarding and Speedbuilding or successful test out at 25 wpm or more.

Some courses may require appropriate test score or completion of basic math, basic English and/or reading courses with a “C” or better.

Program Learning Outcomes

By completing this program, students will achieve the following learning outcomes.

  1. Students will demonstrate the ability to write a realtime theory.
  2. Students will be able to demonstrate competency in court reporting technology, including the use of customized computer-aided software.
  3. Students will be able to write two-voice at 225 wpm with 97% accuracy; jury charge at 200 wpm with 97% accuracy; and literary at 180 wpm with 97% accuracy.
  4. Students will demonstrate knowledge of business and professional ethics that are essential to success.
  5. Students will participate in an internship consisting of 40 hours of actual writing time with a professional reporter and/or captioner. Student will demonstrate entry-level industry proficiency by producing a 40-page manuscript.

Equipment

Laptop, steno machine and Eclipse student software.

Please see instructor for specific requirements before purchasing any equipment.

Accreditation

All curricula were created to meet or exceed the National Court Reporters Association’s (NCRA) standards set out by the Council on Approved Student Education (CASE).

The Judicial Reporting/Broadcast Captioning/CART programs are approved by NCRA Upon graduation, students will be ready to take the NCRA's Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification exam. The RPR exam is offered twice per year April and November.

Program Essentials

Laptop, steno machine and Eclipse student software. Please see instructor for specific requirements before purchasing any  equipment. See Tuition and Fees for more information.

Program Sequence

 FIRST YEAR
 Fall Semester
 Course Number  Course Title Credits
 ADSC 1006
  Business Law
  4
 JRBC 1000  Realtime Reporting Orientation  1
 JRBC 1005  Realtime Reporting I
 4
 JRBC 1031  Foundations of Law
3
 TOTAL
12
 
 Spring Semester
 JRBC 1105  Realtime Reporting II
 4
 JRBC 1120  Realtime Reporting Technology  3
 JRBC 1200
  Realtime Reporting Technology
  4
 JRBC 2011  Transcription and English I
 3
TOTAL
14
 
 Summer Semester
* Please see your advisor.
 
 SECOND YEAR
 Fall Semester
 HLTH 1040
  Medical Terminology
 2
 JRBC 2000  Realtime Reporting IV
4
 JRBC 2016
  Transcription & English II
 3
 JRBC 2030  Judicial Reporting Procedures 3
 JRBC 2040
  Business Success for Realtime Careers
 2
TOTAL
14
 
 Spring Semester
 JRBC 2036
  Word Enrichment
3
 JRBC 2100  Realtime Reporting V
4
 JRBC 2120
  Realtime Reporting VI**
 4
 JRBC 2140
  Judicial Reporting Internships
2
 TOTAL
13
 
 General Education/MnTC Requirements
15
Fifteen (15) general education credits of Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) are required. Students are required to choose 15 credits from three (3) different goal areas. MnTC credits are not listed in the sequence above an may be taken in any order in any semester.
 General Education/MnTC courses
 Please see the MnTC goal areas.
15

Graduation Requirements

Students must earn a grade of “B” or better in all speedbuilding classes and a grade of “C” or better in all other coursework in order to graduate. In addition, students shall pass three 5-minute speed tests with 97% accuracy at the following speeds: 225 wpm testimony (two-voice), 200 wpm jury charge and 180 wpm literary.

The student shall successfully complete an internship with no less than 40 hours of verified actual writing time.

Upon graduation, students will be ready to take the NCRA’s Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification exam. The RPR exam is offered twice per year in April and November.

Transfer Opportunities

To see how this may transfer into other Anoka Technical College program or into another college, please visit:

Industry Information

Judicial Reporters can work in courtrooms as official reporters, creating accurate verbatim written records of all the proceedings. Official reporters are employed by the state. Deposition reporting (also known as freelance reporting) is a popular field because it is interesting and allows for flexible scheduling. Freelance reporters typically work on an independent contractor basis taking depositions at law offices.

Wages/Outlook/Advancement

Faculty

Jennifer Sati, RMR, CRR, CBC, CRI
763-576-4897

Enrollment Services
763-576-7710

 

The Anoka Technical College Broadcast Captioning/CART (Communications Access Realtime Translation) certificate is a 16-credit program. The program consists of a core of machine shorthand speedbuilding courses, Realtime/Captioning/CART technology courses and courses to help students become familiar with the deaf community. Students use student versions of software used in industry for realtime translation and the actual equipment/software required to caption. The central objective of the Broadcast Captioning/CART program is to train students to write conflict-free machine shorthand on a computer-compatible stenotype machine, utilizing the industry standard computer-assisted realtime translation at 97 percent accuracy.

NOTE: This certificate is offered through the Judicial Reporting/Broadcast Captioning program.

Admission Requirements

Students registering for this certificate need to have already completed the Judicial Reporting Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree or be working in the reporting field and want to retrain to work in the Captioning/CART industries.

Program Essentials

Laptop, steno machine and Eclipse student software. Please see instructor for specific requirements before purchasing any equipment. See Tuition and Fees for more information.

Certification

The Judicial Reporting curriculum was created to meet or exceed National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) standards set by the Council on Approved Student Education (CASE). The Judicial Reporting/Broadcast Captioning/CART programs are approved by NCRA.

Upon graduation, students are ready to take the NCRA’s Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC) and/or Certified CART Provider (CCP) certification exams. Exams are offered twice per year in November and April.

Admissions Requirements

 Students registering for this certificate need to have already completed the Judicial Reporting Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or be working in the reporting field and want to retrain to work in the Captioning/CART industries.

Credits

 TOTAL CREDITS
 16
 Technical Education

 ASL 1000  Deaf Studies/Culture* 3
 JRBC 1400  Realtime Principles
2
 JRBC 1405  Broadcast Captioning & CART Practicum
2
 JRBC 2126  Broadcast Captioning & CART Procedures & Research
3
 JRBC 2135  Broadcast Captioning & CART Internship
2
 TOTAL    16

*ASL1100 (American Sign Language I) may be substituted for Deaf Studies/Culture.

Work with the faculty advisor to create a schedule that works best for you!

 General Education/MnTC Requirements
4
Four (4) elective general education credits of Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) are required.

Graduation Requirements

Students must earn a grade of “B” or better in the Broadcast Captioning and CART Practicum and Realtime Principles and a grade of “C” or better in all other coursework in order to graduate. In addition, students shall pass three (3), five (5)-minute timings with 97 percent real-time accuracy at 180 wpm literary (with 1.4 syllabic density). Students must successfully complete an internship with no less than 40 hours of verified actual writing time for captioning. Students must successfully complete an internship with no less than 40 hours of verified actual writing time for CART. From internships, students prepare a captioned translation of one hour and a CART translation of one hour.

Transfer Opportunities

To see how this may transfer into other Anoka Technical College program or into another college, please visit:

 

Industry Information

Completion of the Broadcast Captioning/CART certificate allows graduates to work in a variety of settings either as broadcast captioners or as CART providers.

Broadcast captioners use realtime machine shorthand skills to create the captioning you see on television. This captioning is created to allow access to television broadcasts for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Broadcast captioners work doing on-air captioning of live programming.

CART is a service that can be requested by people who are hard of hearing as an alternative to having a sign language interpreter. It falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as one way of providing equal access to services. Graduates can find work as CART providers in legal, educational and various trade fields.

Wages/Outlook/Advancement

Gainful Employment Report

Faculty

Jennifer Sati, RMR, CRR, CBC, CRI
763-576-4064

Enrollment Services
763-576-7710

The Anoka Technical College Scoping/Proofreading certificate is a 29-credit program to be completed in one-and-a-half years. Scoping/Proofreading students learn shorthand theory with Judicial Reporting students. Students also take Legal Terminology, Medical Terminology, Realtime Reporting Orientation, Realtime Reporting Technology, Business English and Transcription and English courses. There are three additional classes Scoping/Proofreading students are required to take: Advanced Proofreading and English Skills, Scoping Procedures and Advanced Transcript Production.   

NOTE: This certificate is offered through the Judicial Reporting/Broadcast Captioning program.

Prerequisites

The prerequisite for JRBC 1005 is ADSC 1003 Introduction to Keyboarding and Speedbuilding or successful Keyboarding test out at 25 wpm or more. 

Some courses may require appropriate test score or completion of basic math, basic English and/or reading courses with a “C” or better.

Program Essentials

Laptop, steno machine and Eclipse student software. Students may use a loaner steno machine from the department.

Please see instructor for specific requirements before purchasing any equipment.

Program Sequence

 FIRST YEAR
 Fall Semester
 Course Number  Course Title  Credits
 JRBC 1000  Realtime Reporting Orientation
1
*JRBC 1005  Realtime Reporting I
4
 JRBC 1031  Foundations of Law
3
 TOTAL
8
 
 Spring Semester
 JRBC 1105  Realtime Reporting II
4
 JRBC 1120  Realtime Reporting Technology
3
 JRBC 2011  Transcription & English I
3
 TOTAL
10
 
 SECOND YEAR
 Fall Semester
 HLTH 1040
  Medical Terminology
2
 JRBC 2016
  Transcription & English II
 3
 JRBC 3101  Scoping Procedures
3
 JRBC 2030
  Judicial Reporting Procedures
3
 TOTAL
11
 

Graduation Requirements

All Anoka Technical College students seeking a Scoping/Proofreading certificate must earn a grade of “C” or higher in every course in the program.

Transfer Opportunities

To see how this may transfer into other Anoka Technical College programs or into another college, please visit:

Industry Information

Scopists and proofreaders work in conjunction with court reporters to produce the final transcript that is prepared from court proceedings or depositions. Transcripts are accurate verbatim written records of the proceedings.

At the end of a proceeding, some court reporters send their files to a scopist, who then edits the job for the court reporter. Scopists need to know how to read shorthand notes and use court reporting software. 

Other court reporters edit their own work but hire proofreaders to read over their transcripts to check for errors.

Wages/Outlook/Advancement

Scopists and proofreaders are self-employed and are paid by the page. Earnings are contingent on the following: time worked, expertise, speed, and efficiency.

Wage information is available from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Gainful Employment Report

Faculty

Jennifer Sati, RMR, CRR, CBC, CRI
763-576-4064

Enrollment Services
763-576-7710

Start

Fall: August
Summer sessions are mandatory for Judicial Reporting students

Delivery

Day

Events

Court Reporting & Captioning Exhibition
Tuesday, Feb.11
4:30 to 6:30 pm
Auditorium B

Judicial Reporting & Broadcast Captioning Information Session
Monday, March 2
6 to 7 pm

A to Z Free Six-Week Introduction Course
March 2 to April 13
(No class March 16)
Mondays, 6 to 8 pm
Rm 137
Email Sharon Steinbrecher to register

Contact

Jennifer Sati, RMR, CRR, CBC, CRI
763-576-4064

Links

PDF Judicial Reporting Degree Program Guide 
PDF Captioning Certificate Program Guide
PDF Scoping Certificate Program Guide

Course Schedule

Course Descriptions

College Accreditation

PDF Human Services Pathways

““As a court reporting and captioning firm owner in Minnesota, I feel extremely fortunate to have one of the top schools in the nation right here in our backyard. We are pleased and, in fact, impressed, with the quality of graduates coming out of Anoka Tech…so much so that we have hired six to date.””
Jan Ballman, RPR, CMRS, DSA-MN President, Paradigm Reporting and Captioning