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Recommended Computer Specifications

All incoming students are required to have access to a laptop meeting the minimum requirements outlined below for class purposes. (These machines can be individually owned, shared with another student, or borrowed when available.) Additionally, all upperclassmen purchasing new computers are strongly encouraged to consider a laptop to take full advantage of the wired and wireless access available in all academic and residence halls.

We support both Mac and Windows based machines and provide the following recommendations when making a purchase:

Departmental Recommendations

In addition to the minimum specifications noted below, students studying primarily in certain departments may have additional requirements to consider:

  • Accounting, Business and Economics - A Windows compatible computer with the current version of Microsoft Office Pro
  • Computer Science - Some applications used by the Computer Science department are Windows only.  Mac users may need to run Windows in a virtual environment to use these programs.

Recommended MINIMUM Specifications for NEW Windows Laptop

  • Processor: 9th Generation Intel Core i3, 2.53GHz or any i5 or i7 processor
  • Memory: 8 GB Memory
  • Hard Drive: 250 GB (solid state drives will provide better performance)
  • Wireless 802.11n
  • Network Card: Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card (If your laptop doesn't include a network card, a USB to ethernet adapter is recommended)
  • CD/DVD: None
  • Built in web camera
  • Software (available at reduced price or through the college):
    • Windows 10
    • Office 365 (available to students for FREE)
    • updated anti-virus program

Recommended MINIMUM Specifications for NEW Apple Laptop

  • Processor: Any of the i-series processors available in the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro
  • Memory: 8 GB Memory
  • Hard Drive: 250 GB
  • Wireless: Integrated into laptop
  • Network Card: Thunderbolt or USB Ethernet Adapter (recommended)
  • CD/DVD: None 
  • Built in web camera
  • Software:

REQUIRED MINIMUM Specifications

  • Processor: Intel i-series or equivalent processor
  • Memory: 4GB
  • Hard Drive: 128GB
  • Wireless: 802.11n or AirPort
  • Software: Mac OSX (v10.11), business class version of Windows 8 or Windows 10, updated anti-virus program