On behalf of Information Technology Services (ITS), welcome to the PCOM community! If you are a new student, please take time to review our computer recommendations below to ensure your system is compatible with the PCOM network.
Students should receive their account credentials via email as part of their new student information from the Office of Student Affairs. This occurs after the student's final deposit is received.
New employees should receive their account credentials on their first day of employment.
Requests for employee network accounts must be initiated by Human Resources and must be submitted to the hiring department. The Authorization for System Access form (located on myPCOM) must be submitted by the employee's department head in order for a network account to be created. The hiring department must submit the completed form at least four days prior to the employee’s first day of employment.
PCOM supports both Windows and Apple systems. In general, the newer the laptop or computer, the better your experience will be.
Before you purchase a laptop or desktop computer, we recommend you to examine how you will use it. Your work habits, possible fields of study and interests should shape your decision. Students need to verify if their first and second year courses will require the use of Examplify. If yes, then your new computer decision must be driven by the Examplify requirements section below. To best ensure you will be able to take Examplify exams, click on the Examplify 'Minimum System Requirements' link.
Decide between a Mac or a Windows system. The platform should match your interests. In general, both will work on PCOM’s Network. Many of the major vendors, such as Apple, Dell, Lenovo and HP offer discounts to students.
Tablets such as iPads may not support every system or program so we recommend using them as a supplement, rather than a replacement, for a traditional laptops and computers.
If you are planning on buying a computer to use for the next three or more years, we would recommend the computer you select meet the following specifications:
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Processor |
Intel Core i5 or newer |
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Operating System |
Recommended options include:
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Office Suite |
Recommended options include:
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Memory (RAM) |
8 GB of RAM, or higher |
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Storage |
128 GB hard disk or higher |
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Additional features |
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Examplify is secure test-taking software for student's computers. The software locks down the testing environment so that students cannot use the Internet or other programs during exam sessions.
Discounted software is available to students via journeyed.com.
Please note that Office 365 is made available to all PCOM students free of charge.
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