📘 Device Requirements for Students

📘 Device Requirements for Students

Info
To ensure a smooth academic experience, students are encouraged to use personal devices that meet the following recommended specifications. These guidelines are designed to support general coursework, web-based learning platforms, and specialized software used in certain majors.

💻 Recommended Laptop Specifications

🎓 General Use (All Majors Except Digital Media & Design)

These specifications are suitable for most students accessing course materials, participating in virtual classes, and using productivity tools:
  1. Processor: Intel Core i5 (11th Gen or newer) / AMD Ryzen 5 (5000 series or newer) / Apple M1 or newer
  2. Memory (RAM): 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)
  3. Storage: 256 GB SSD or higher
  4. Battery Life: Minimum 6 hours
  5. Display: 13" or larger, Full HD (1920x1080)
  6. Wireless: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) or newer
  7. Webcam & Microphone: Built-in or external

🎨 Digital Media & Design Majors

Students in creative disciplines often use resource-intensive applications such as Adobe Creative Cloud. Devices should meet higher performance standards:
  1. Processor: Intel Core i7 / AMD Ryzen 7 / Apple M1 Pro or better
  2. Memory (RAM): 16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended)
  3. Storage: 512 GB SSD or higher
  4. Graphics: Dedicated GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce GTX/RTX or AMD Radeon) or Apple M-series with GPU acceleration
  5. Display: 15" or larger, Full HD (1920x1080) or higher resolution (Retina or 4K preferred)
  6. Ports: USB-C, HDMI, and SD card reader (or adapters)

🖥️ Supported Operating Systems

The following operating systems are supported for accessing institutional resources and course platforms:
  1. Windows: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
  2. macOS: macOS 12 Monterey or newer
  3. ChromeOS: ChromeOS 115 or newer (limited compatibility with some software)
  4. Linux: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer (advanced users only; limited support)
Warning
Some specialized software may not be available on ChromeOS or Linux. Please verify compatibility with your course requirements.

🧰 Required & Recommended Software

Required (All Students)

  1. Web Browser: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari
  2. Office Suite: Microsoft Office 365 (available via student license)
  3. PDF Reader: Adobe Acrobat Reader or browser-based viewer
  4. Video Conferencing: Zoom, Microsoft Teams
  1. Creative Software: Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, etc.)
  2. Coding/Development Tools: Visual Studio Code, Git, Python
  3. Cloud Storage: OneDrive (included with Office 365), Google Drive

🛠️ Support & Assistance

If you need help selecting a device or installing software, please contact the Help Desk:
  1. 📧 Email: ithelpdesk@beaconcollege.edu 
  2. ☎️ Phone: (352) 638-9774
  3. 🕒 Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM


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