We provide computer labs for students to compete their work. However, many students prefer to use their own computers. Here is what we recommend to complete the coursework for Computer Science.
Minimum Technology Requirements for Computer Science
- Internet connectivity with at least 3Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds
- Wired network preferred over wireless
- Computer: Windows PC (or Mac with Windows installed)
- Internet browser: Chrome or Firefox browser
- HD webcam
- Microphone and speakers (or headphones with microphone)
System Recommendations
- Windows 10
- version 1703 or higher: Home, Professional, Education, and Enterprise (LTSC and S are not supported)
- Processor - 10th Generation or newer Intel©
- Core™ i7 or i9 processor
- 1.8 GHz or better
- Quad core or better
- 16GB RAM (higher RAM preferred as it runs faster)
- 1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive or 1TB SSD Drive (SSD preferred) or better
General Software
Microsoft Office is available for FREE to PBA students, up to 5 copies per student!
To download and install it, go to https://portal.office.com (Links to an external site.) and sign in with your PBA username followed by @pba.edu and password. Your login username for the portal is username@pba.edu. For example, Joe Sailfish has a username of sailfj and Joe will use sailfj@pba.edu. Once logged in, click the account manager icon in the upper right corner, which will either be your initials or a picture of you. Then click on View account. On this screen, click on "Manage" under "Office Apps" in the middle bottom of the screen. Then you should be presented with the option to download and install MS Office for your device.
Student discounts on hardware and other software are available
Windows PC vs Mac vs Chromebook
Windows 10 will be required for the coursework in our program because some of the software we use, such as MS Access, is only available on Windows. The simplest solution is to use a Windows PC.
Windows can be installed on most Apple Macintosh computers from 2006 and newer if there is enough space available on the disk drive. To do this, use either Bootcamp or Parallels. A copy of Windows will be required.
Bootcamp: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201468
Parallels: https://www.parallels.com/
Chromebooks, iPads, Android tablets, smartphones, etc. are not recommended for our coursework. They use a fundamentally different chipset and will not support the software needed for many of our courses.