New Users
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.
User Accounts
Students
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 completes all admissions requirements, is accepted and confirmed, and pays their final deposit.
Employees
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. All employee accounts are automatically onboarded through Workday after approval by the employee's department head. The hiring department must approve the Workday process at least four days prior to the employee's first day of employment.
Computer Recommendations
PCOM supports both Windows and Apple systems. In general, the newer the laptop or computer, the better your experience will be.
Which computer should I purchase?
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.
Hardware recommendations
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® requirements
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
Discounted software is available to students via journeyed.com.
Please note that Office 365 is made available to all PCOM students free of charge.