ORIENTATION: New and transfer students are required to attend a Court Reporting Department Orientation Meeting, the date of which is published in each semester's schedule of classes.
- Program Options
- Required Courses
Court Reporting
* Associate of Science Degree (minimum of 83 unites)
* Certificate of Achievement
Program Information
The court reporting program at West Valley College offers access to an array of high-paying, top-skilled career opportunities in computerized reporting. West Valley College is the only community college in the Bay Area that offers court reporting. The California Certified Reporters' Board has licensed hundreds of West Valley College court reporting students who now earn high incomes working in courtrooms and deposition chambers throughout the world. All students in the program are trained by innovative techniques so that each student can meet and champion the challenges in the legal, medical, and educational world leading to rewarding careers today and tomorrow. Students in the program can acquire an A. S. degree or a Certificate of Achievement.
To be awarded an Associate of Science Degree
1. All of the major requirements (a minimum of 83 united are needed)
2. A 200-word-per-minute speed goal building class (CTR 20A-D) with a grade of C or better or Pass
3. Additional units to meet the college graduation requirements.
Upon review of content, academic courses taken in a private court reporting school will be accepted toward qualifying for the CSR exam.
The sequence of courses is suggested and may vary. Some students may move through the machine portion of the program more quickly. The machine portion and the academic content of the above schedule has been fully approved by the Court Reporters Board of California.
Students are also recommended to take: CTR 30B - Real-Time and Legal Dictionary Building, and CTR 30C - Real-Time and Medical Dictionary Building. Before beginning any court reporting or related technology program, the student should have keyboarding skills of at least 45 words per minute; the Computer Applications Department offers keyboarding classes.
A Certificate of Achievement in Court Reporting may be earned by students who have completed all required academic courses with at least a grade of "C" or Pass, and have completed CTR 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, (200 WPM Speed Goal), with at least a grade of "C" or Pass.
Career Opportunities
Our department offers six programs:
- Certified Shorthand Reporter
- Captioning and CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation)
- Legal Transcription Technologist
- Office Assistant/Transcription Technologist
- Scopist/Note Reading
- Legal Secretary
| First Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| CTR 007A | Court Reporting theory 1 | 4 |
| CTR 007B | Court Reporting Theory 2 | 4 |
| OR CTR 6A 1 | Court Reporting Theory 1 ( 8 week summer course) | 2 |
| OR CTR 6B 1 | Court Reporting Theory 2 ( 8 week summer course) | 2 |
| CA15 | Document Formatting OR approved word processing class | 2 |
| Second Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| CTR 008 | 80 WPM Speed Goal; pass any one of CTR 8A-D with a grade of "C" or better | 6.5 |
| ENGL 903 | Basic Grammar and Sentence Structure (Does not fulfill English requirement for Associate Degree) |
3 |
| OR ENGL 905 | English Fundamentals | 3 |
| READ 53 | Speed and Critical Reading | 3 |
| OR READ 63 | Vocabulary Development | 3 |
| HTECH 5 | Basic medical Terminology | 3 |
* Summer Session: Appropriate Speed Building Class 2 units
| Third Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| Appropriate Speedbuilding class | 6.5 | |
| ENGL 905 | English Fundamentals | 3 |
| OR ENGL 1A | English Composition | 3 |
| CTR 30A | Real-Time Basic Dictionary Building | 2 |
| Fourth Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| Appropriate Speedbuilding Classes | 6.5 | |
| PARA 21 | Introduction to American Law | |
| CTR 28A | Basic Computer-Aided Transcription | 2.5 |
* Summer Session: Appropriate Speed Building Class: 2 units
| Fifth Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| Appropriate Speedbuilding Class | 6.5 | |
| CTR 26 | English Review and Office Practices for the Court Reporter | 3 |
| CTR 34 A1 | Medical Dictation for the Court Reporter | 1.5 |
| Six Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| Appropriate Speedbuilding Classes | 6.5 | |
| CTR 38 | Court and Deposition Procedures for the Court Reporter | 3 |
* Summer Session: Appropriate Speed Building Class: 2 units
| Seventh Semester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| Appropriate Speedbuilding Class | 6.5 | |
| CTR 42A/42B | Certified Shorthand Reporters Examination Review | 2 |
| CTR 44 | Court Reporting Apprenticeship | 1 |
| Recommended Electives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Name | Units |
| CTR 30B | Real-Time and Computer-Aided Legal Dictionary Building | 2 |
| CTR 30C | Real-Time and Computer-Aided Medical Dictionary Building | 2 |
| AJ 3 | Principles and Procedures of the Justice System | 3 |
| BUS 28 | Business Law | 3 |