College of Business Administration

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If you are looking for the PEMBA Bundles, you will find them here.

All undergraduates (Sophomores & up) in the College of Business will be encouraged to purchase a laptop computer to enhance their classroom experience. Under the new curriculum, it will be difficult to complete the coursework without access to a computer system. Below you will find minimum specifications and recommended configurations as well as required software that has been approved by the College of Business. Below is the minimum system configuration supported on campus. Obviously, new computers are much more robust, but if you can't afford the latest hardware here are some guidelines. ***Note: Windows 64-bit OS is not recommended as some Stats programs are not compatible.

Recommended Specifications

Mac Recommendations:

  • MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air system with a minimum Intel-based processor .    Your Mac must be an Intel-based model and run Windows either in Apple's free Boot Camp utility or virtualization software such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion. Note that Parallels or Fusion and Windows XP will have to be purchased separately in addition to the purchase of the computer.

  • 2GB or more of RAM
  • 120GB or larger Hard Drive
  • TFT Color Display
  • DVD-RW
  • Wireless networking card
  • Built-in Ethernet
  • Mac OSX 10.5 or newer (Required to run Windows)
  • Microsoft Office 2008
  • Windows 7 Professional or Vista Business
  • **Optional: USB Jump Drive

Windows PC Recommendations:

  • Intel or AMD 32 or 64bit Processor running at a minimum of 1GHz
  • 2GB or more of RAM
  • 160GB or larger Hard Drive
  • DirectX9 compatible Graphics, 256MB + Dedicated Video card recommended
  • DVD-RW
  • Built-in Ethernet and/or 802.11B/G/N wireless
  • Windows 7 Professional or Vista Business
  • Microsoft Office 2007
  • Microsoft Office OneNote is recommended, but optional
  • **Optional: USB Jump Drive

Required Software

Windows XP Professional: $75.00
Antivirus Software: Free Download
Windows Office 2007: $75.00
Mac Office 2008: $66.00

Many of the computers that are sold at the University Center Computer store are either within or well above the recommended specifications listed here. To view what machines we have to offer, please visit our Hardware page and click on the banners to find prices and information.

Other Helpful Information when purchasing a computer:

  1. The specifications given here are minimum requirements.   Any upgrades that you can afford at the time of purchase will only increase the likelihood of keeping your computer throughout your entire program at UT.   
  2. When working with your vendor make sure to get the restore CD/DVD and keep it with you at school.   If your brand of computer does not come with a restore disk and has a “make your own” option on setup, DO NOT skip this process.   Always keep your restore CD/DVD and your Office CDs with you so that they can be accessed quickly if a restore is required.   Restore DVDs are an option on the Dell online store.   Please be sure to choose this option if you order your computer from Dell online.
  3. Back up your work.    Purchase a USB  external hard drive, Flash drive or burn your files to CD/DVD periodically.    This will save you from last minute disasters that have been experienced by previous UT students – lost papers and even lost thesis chapters because they did not back up their work.

Running Windows on the Mac

With the switch to Intel processors, exciting new options are available for running the Windows XP operating system on the Mac. Emulators such as VirtualPC are no longer needed, as Windows can now run natively on the Mac with no performance disadvantages. Note that this applies only to Intel Dual Core based Macs like the MacBook Pro. Older G4 based Macs must still use VirtualPC.

***Currently, Macs are not configured to run Windows right out of the box. The following steps must be taken to prepare the Mac for Windows installation:

  • Go to http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp to download and install the BootCamp extension. Follow all instructions on Apple's site explicitly.
  • Purchase and install the full version Microsoft Windows 7 Professional. This software is available from the University Center Computer Store.

That's it - you're now ready to install and run Windows-based applications on the Windows partition of your Mac.

IMPORTANT: The windows side of your Mac is now a real Windows based computer, and is therefore vulnerable to the same worms, viruses, and spyware as other Windows machines. Please follow safe computing practices that include running Windows updates, anti-virus software, and anti-spyware utilities.