Court Reporting Programs at Five Towns College
Court Reporting programs at Five Towns College are offered fully online, leading to the Associate of Occcupational Studies (A.O.S.) Degree and the Certificate.
What does a Court Reporter do?
Court Reporters are responsible for accurately recording the spoken testimony during courtroom proceedings, pretrial depositions, as well as for proceedings at federal agencies and for state and local governments. Court reporting is an evolving field where the job opportunities are strong. Court Reporters are the “Guardians of the Record,” and they will continue to capture, protect, and preserve the Court’s record for all time. As a Court Reporter, you will play an integral role in maintaining the integrity of all legal proceedings.
- The job of the Court Reporter actually consists of two jobs. The first part of the job is the Court Reporter taking down or “reporting” everything that is said during a trial in a courtroom or at a pretrial deposition on a steno machine.
- The second part of the Court Reporter’s job consists of producing an accurate transcript of the proceedings. Behind the scenes, the Court Reporter uses industry-standard software, and translates what has been written on the steno machine, edits the proceeding, conducts research, proofreads and corrects any errors, and certifies that the transcript is complete, true, and accurate. This is a very important position.
Court Reporters are in High Demand
According to the National Court Reporting Association (NCRA), there is a tremendous growing shortage of Court Reporters across the country. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Court Reporters and simultaneous captioners is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations in the United States. About 2,100 openings for Court Reporters and simultaneous captioners are projected each year, on average, over the decade. While the national median pay in 2022 was $63,560, in New York State, where the demand for skilled Court Reporters is amongst the highest in the nation, the median salary was the highest in the nation at $106,340.[1] The employment opportunities seem to be in demand in many states across the country. In fact, the NYS Unified Court System has posted several positions available on their site here.
The best way to decide if this interesting, rewarding, and lucrative career is right for you is to visit the College’s campus in Dix Hills, Long Island, NY. Meet with our staff, tour the College, and have all of your questions answered. If you can’t come to campus, submit the form and we will contact you!
The court reporting program at Five Towns College is dedicated to teaching and helping students develop their stenography machine shorthand skills to create an accurate verbatim transcript. The program of study includes classes on legal procedures and technology, medical terminology, grammar and punctuation, and training on the industry-leading software for computer-aided transcription, and more.
The Internship portion of the program takes learning out of the classroom and right into a legal setting, giving Five Towns College students the opportunity to work side-by-side with a professional court reporter. The program at Five Towns had its genesis at the Long Island Business Institute nearly 55 years ago. As such, the College’s approach builds on that half-century of experience.
The College offers both a Certificate and an Associate’s Degree in Court Reporting. Both programs focus on honing your writing and transcriptions skills to achieve the exit speed of 225 words per minute. For students who previously attended the Long Island Business Institute, they may continue in the program in which they were originally enrolled. For the Certificate, this is the 54-credit program. For the Associate degree, this is the 65-credit program. New students first beginning their studies at Five Towns College after January 1, 2024 will be enrolled in the 73-credit associate degree program, unless they already have earned an associate or bachelor’s degree. In that case, they may enroll in either the associate or certificate program.
The Certificate Program (54 credits) includes court reporting theory, five court reporting speedbuilding classes, legal procedures, medical terminology, transcription production, Realtime Writing and internship classes. Students who have already earned an associate or bachelor’s degree may enter the certificate program.
The Associate’s Degree (65 or 73 credits) includes all of the court reporting classes plus the general education classes of Introduction to Business Communications, English Composition 1 and 2, social science elective, and related coursework in Business. Students who have not already earned at least an associate degree take the associate degree track.
Court reporting is an evolving field where the opportunities are bright.
Not all court reporters spend their days in the courtroom. Court reporting skills and technology are used to provide captioning for live and prerecorded programs on broadcast TV and the Internet. You can have fun captioning your favorite TV Shows, movies and sporting events – work remotely, set your own schedule. Embark on a career that’s vital, exciting and rewarding with coast-to-coast opportunities at your fingertips.
Graduates of the Five Towns College Court Reporting program may find employment in the following areas:
- Courtrooms
- Court Reporting Agencies
- County, State, and Federal Legislature
- Broadcast Captioning
- CART Provider
Graduates of Court Reporting Programs have also gone on to become entrepreneurs opening court reporting agencies and CART service agencies.
While Five Towns College does recommend that students seek out federal financial aid and aid from the State of New York, the College also offers institutional scholarships and grants to qualified students. Scholarship and grants are awarded on the basis of talent, financial need, and merit. You will automatically be considered for a scholarship from the College when you complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For information about the FAFSA, or for assistance in completing it, please contact the Five Towns College Financial Aid Office.
If you’re interested in learning more about a career as a Court Reporter and exploring whether Five Towns College is the right fit for you, fill out the form on this page or call (631) 656-2110 to speak with an Admissions Representative.
Court Reporting Program
Candidates for admission to this program meet with court reporting faculty members who are seasoned court reporters. The faculty consider candidates for the program to assure that there are no obstacles preventing the student from successfully completing the program. They will further explain the discipline needed to complete the academic courses as well as the amount of time that must be dedicated to the practice of machine shorthand. The faculty is charged with identifying future academic course of actions, advisement, or retesting if necessary. The faculty also handles appeals from students that have exceeded maximum time frame and wish to continue in the program in a non-matriculated status.
In addition to the regular standards for admission to Five Towns College, Court Reporting applicants must
- Demonstrate through an interview with an admissions representative, an understanding of and interest in a program of study.
- Have earned a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma (GED or TASC)
All students enrolled in the Court Reporting Program must come to class each day with a steno machine. If a student is interested in purchasing a steno machine, new or used, the student will be referred to the Court Reporting Program Coordinator, who will assist them in this endeavor.
Five Towns College has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Long Island Business Institute, and will provide an opportunity to any former LIBI student who was enrolled there at any time during 2023 and who left in good academic standing, provided they resume their studies at Five Towns College by the Fall 2024 semester. Students who were not in attendance during 2023, who left LIBI not in good academic standing, or who seek to resume their studies after the Fall 2024 semester, may apply for admission to Five Towns College under the terms and conditions in effect at the time of application.
Court Reporting students who wish to resume their studies after a break of any length, must be prepared to register for the speedbuilding course that follows the one in which they received the last passing grade. If the student wishes to reapply for a speedbuilding course in which the grade of IP at LIBI was earned, that student must demonstrate proficiency in the speedbuilding course that was the prerequisite for this course.
As explained above, former students who cannot demonstrate proficiency in the speedbuilding course as explained will be denied re-entry into the program. At this point, the student will be given the opportunity to register as a non-matriculated student taking the appropriate speedbuilding course as determined by the Court Reporting Program Coordinator. The student is only permitted to enroll in that specific speedbuilding course for two semesters. Following completion of the course, the student will be assessed by a proficiency examination for consideration for re-entry.
Students dismissed from the program and seeking re-entry must enroll in the course(s) in which a failing grade was received and earn a passing grade before being considered for re-entry into the program. The student will be enrolled as a non-matriculated student during this period of time.
If a student demonstrates the ability to successfully complete a speedbuilding course at a higher level than the speedbuilding course following the one in which a passing grade was earned, it will be necessary to demonstrate the ability to pass the required speed tests through a proficiency examination.
All Court Reporting students, regardless of the program track they are on, or when they entered Five Towns College, must submit a 40-page salable transcript, 45-hours interning along with a two-page internship narrative, and must demonstrate a minimum speed of 225 wpm (judical).
A.O.S. Degree Program in Court Reporting
HEGIS Code 5005
This program is designed to provide students with the instruction, technology, and skill-building training essential to become employed in the field of court reporting and to instill in them the integrity and ethical behavior pertinent to the field.
Students must complete a minimum of 65 or 73 credits of required courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0; pass three testimony tests at 225 wpm; pass three jury charge tests at 200 wpm; pass three straight matter tests at 180 wpm with 95 percent accuracy, all tests are five minutes on unfamiliar material; satisfactorily complete an internship program which will include 45 hours of participation under the supervision of an official court reporter or a freelance court reporter using machine steno. These hours will be verified by the supervising reporters. Students will also complete 30 hours of class lecture. A 40-page salable transcript will be produced and graded. A narrative report which summarizes their internship experiences will be given.
Note: The average student may require additional time beyond the published program length to achieve the exit speed of 225 words per minute.
The sequence of content for the Court Reporting Program: Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) can be found on p. 88 of the 2025/26 Five Towns College Academic Catalog, CLICK HERE for direct access.
Certificate Program In Court Reporting
HEGIS Code 5005
This Certificate program is designed to provide students with the instruction and skill-building training essential for them to become employed in the field of court reporting.
Students must complete a minimum of 54 credits of required courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0; pass three testimony tests at 225 wpm; pass three jury charge tests at 200 wpm; pass three straight matter tests at 180 wpm with 95 percent accuracy; all tests are five minutes on unfamiliar material; satisfactorily complete an internship program which will include 45 hours of participation under the supervision of an official court reporter or a freelance court reporter using machine steno. These hours will be verified by the supervising reporters. Students will also complete 30 hours of class lecture. A 40-page salable transcript will be produced and graded. A narrative report which summarizes their internship experiences will be given.
Note: The average student may require additional time beyond the published program length to achieve the exit speed of 225 words per minute.
The sequence of content for the Certificate Program in Court Reporting can be found on p. 89 of the 2025/26 Five Towns College Academic Catalog, CLICK HERE for direct access.