Technology Requirements

Starting Fall 2020, all students are required to have a laptop computer.  The IS department recommends the following computer hardware configuration. Also listed is a minimum hardware requirement. These configurations closely follow the recommendations provided by DoIT and are necessary to smoothly run software used in our classes.

Recommended Configuration

Having a laptop with these specifications will allow for the best student experience when taking our courses.

  • Display Resolution: FHD (1920×1080)
  • CPU: Intel i7
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 512 GB SSD
  • Media: Webcam & Microphone
  • Wireless: 802.11ac + Bluetooth
  • Warranty: 4 years
  • Operating System: Windows 10 or MacOS 10.13 or better

Listed are examples of laptops that meet the recommended configuration:

  • Apple MacBook Pro 16
  • Microsoft Surface 3
  • Dell Latitude 5500

Minimum Requirements

At the very least, your laptop should have the following specifications.

  • Display Resolution: HD (1366×768)
  • CPU: Intel i5
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: 250 GB SSD
  • Media: Webcam & Microphone
  • Wireless: 802.11ac + Bluetooth
  • Operating System: Windows 10 or MacOS 10.13 or better

Listed are examples of laptops that will meet the minimum requirements:

  • Acer Aspire 5
  • Apple MacBook Pro 13
  • Dell Latitude 3400
  • Lenovo IdeaPad 5

Purchasing Options

The following online vendor configuration pages list systems and prices after you enter your specific requirements. These configurations from vendors are suggested as examples. As such, the department does not set a preference for any specific vendor over others.

Software available to students can be found at this link. Information for any additional software needed for IS classes will be provided by the instructor.