All Physician Assistant students will be required to own a laptop computer and bring it to class on a regular basis.
Mississippi College does not endorse a specific operating system or computer brand. The computer requirement focuses on function and open standards. The following capabilities are required at a minimum:
Hardware
- Modern, network-aware operating system
- The most up-to-date Windows operating system, or the most up-to-date MacOS
- WiFi Wireless network capability
- 802.11n is strongly recommended
- Sound capable with a headphone jack
- At least one USB port
- 720p or greater webcam
- Long-life battery*
- Printer**
Software
- Malware protection
- Current, fully-patched operating system
- Anti-virus software installed and up to date
- Anti-spyware software installed and up to date
- Modern, standards-compliant Web browser
- Google Chrome is required on all student laptops and must be kept up to date for software downloads. Vivaldi, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Opera are acceptable for all other uses.
- Standards-based email client
- Must be capable of accessing campus email.
- Some students may wish to use the campus email exclusively.
- Standard "runtime" environment for Java programs
- Ability to read PDF files
- Office 365 Online will be provided to students at no charge for the duration of enrollment.
* Laptop batteries have a limited lifespan. It is very common for students to experience less than one-hour battery life. This is a sign that the battery is old and should be replaced. Given the length of the school day, we strongly encourage students to replace old, failing batteries; and invest in a second spare battery. The Lithium-ion (LiON) battery type is preferred.
** Printers should be able to produce large numbers of copies at a low price.
