Educational requirements to gain employment as a court reporter depend on the method of transcription used.  Voice writing typically takes less than a year to train for, while stenotyping can take up to three years.  The National Court Reporters Association provides accreditation.  Standards for court reporting by the Association and Federal guidelines also apply. 

Additionally, some states require court reporters to be notary publics or hold a CCR (Certified Court Reporter) designation, which involves passing a test.  There are also special designations for broadcast captioners and realtime providers.

Voice reporters are required by some states to be licensed.