Laptop Requirements

The College of Pharmacy requires all students to have a laptop during their enrollment in the professional program.  Students may purchase any brand laptop and any specifications they wish. Student are also required to purchase a laptop privacy filter.   However, we have developed some guidelines for specifications that would take you through your professional program.

Please note:  It is the responsibility of the student to backup their system, print their notes, and have technical service for their computer.  The technical support area of the College of Pharmacy is available for connectivity issues relating to our wireless network.  However, they are not allowed to provide in-depth technical support for student computers. 

Required Computer Components:

• Laptop REQUIREMENTS:
  • Wireless card 802.11 AC compatible
  • Windows 10 or Mac OSX 10.14 (Mojave)
  • Microsoft Office download is available with your student email account
• 3M Black Privacy filter OR 3M Gold Privacy filter (ONLY purchase this brand, and ONLY one of these choices)
• Antivirus software
• Examplify - Yearly cost of $66
• iPads DO NOT qualify as a laptop replacement

Suggested Computer Specifications:

• Intel Core I5 Processor or higher
• 8 GB Ram
• 256 GB Hard Drive
• 13" screen or higher
• Adobe Reader
• Minimum 8 hour battery life.  We recommend purchasing an additional battery.
• External Hard Drive to backup your system
• Printer
• 3 year protection plan

Price comparison

When comparing prices of computer systems, please make sure you are comparing comparable equipment.  We do not require that you purchase a particular laptop. However, we do strongly suggest considering the purchase of a Mac laptop to reduce issues with software required for testing.  

A recent survey among our current students indicated:

• 56% have Mac laptops and 44% have PC laptops.  
• Mac laptops typically last longer and have fewer problems than Windows laptops.
• Mac laptops have virtually no issues with Examplify, the program required for testing.  Windows systems tend to have more issues.  
• Both systems require that you stay up to date with all system updates to reduce system problems. 
• Prices obtained from Apple and Dell consumer websites and are subject to change.  

 

Apple 13" MacBook Air - ($1567.00 plus tax)	Dell Inspiron 14 7000 - ($1,188.99 plus tax)
1.6 Ghz dual-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor	10th gen Intel Core i5-10210U processor
8 GB memory	8 GB memory
256 GB SSD hard drive	256 GB SSD hard drive
Apple Care for 3 years	4 years Premium Support Plus
USB-C to USB Adapter

  

Apple 13" MacBook Pro - ($1,787 plus tax)	Dell XPS 13 - ($2,026.99 plus tax)
1.4Ghz quad-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor	8th gen Intel Core i5-8265U processor
8 GB memory	8 GB memory
256 GB SSD hard drive	256 GB SSD hard drive
Apple Care for 3 years	4 years Premium Support
USB-C to USB Adapter	4 year Accidental Damage Coverage