Medical School Student Computer Policies for Entering Class of 2020
== Laptop Requirements Page – FAQ Page ==
Laptop Requirements
In order to fully utilize information resources required by the faculty during your education and be able to complete online examinations, the school requires that all incoming medical students bring a laptop that meets the university’s hardware, software and data security requirements. The computers cannot be more than one year old at the time of orientation.
Allowed Laptops
Apple: Any 13-inch (or larger) MacBook laptop configured to meet or exceed the requirements below.
Microsoft: Surface Book 2 or Surface Laptop 3 configured to meet or exceed the requirements below.
Dell: Latitude 5400, 5500 or 7400 configured to meet or exceed the minimum requirements below.
| Specification | Mac | PC |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 13” (or larger) with 1024 x 768 resolution (or higher) | 13” (or larger) with 1024 x 768 resolution (or higher) |
| Processor | Intel i5 (or better) | Intel i5 (or better) |
| RAM | 8GB (16GB+ recommended) | 8GB (16GB+ recommended) |
| Hard Drive | SSD 256GB (or larger) | SSD 256GB (or larger) |
| Operating System | Mac OS 10 | Windows 10 Pro |
| Encryption | FileVault 2 Full Disk Encryption | BitLocker Full Disk Encryption |
| TPM Chip * | n/a | TPM Chip required |
| Wireless Adapter | Intel 802.11ac (or better) | Intel 802.11ac (or better) |
| Warranty ** | 3-year AppleCare (recommended) | 4-year hardware warranty (recommended) |
* TPM chip is required for BitLocker encryption.
** You will not fail computer orientation if you do not purchase an extended warranty but we highly recommend that you do have it. If you purchase a Dell laptop with on-site Pro Support, we are able to contact Dell on your behalf to schedule repairs. For Microsoft and Apple laptops, you will need to either ship your laptop to the repair depot or take it to the store to be repaired. It is your responsibility to ensure that your MSIT-approved laptop is in good working order and capable of running the required software on exam days.
All Windows and Macintosh computers must be encrypted before you arrive to the computer orientation. Please also enable the 15-minute inactivity timeout and use a secure password. Windows laptops should only use the Windows Defender Antivirus that is included with Windows 10. Other antivirus software can interfere with the exam software.
Encryption Instructions
Windows: Windows 10 BitLocker Encryption Guide [pdf]
Mac: Mac OS FileVault Encryption Guide [pdf]
Very Important! When you enable full-disk encryption on your computer, please save your encryption key in a safe location. This key will be required to recover your data should the operating system get corrupted or if your laptop experiences a hardware failure. Remember to keep a current backup of all of your important files!
NOTE: To maintain compatibility with online exam software, please DO NOT upgrade the operating system version on your laptop until you receive approval from Educational Programs or MSIT.
Protection of Patient, Research and University Data
As a medical student you will have access to patient, research, or University data. The storage of that data on non-University computers puts patient privacy at risk and it is not in line with the security standards of the University. Non-University computers could be unencrypted, have weak or no passwords, are sometimes shared, and generally not managed by University IT staff, and therefore should not be used to store University data. University data should be saved ONLY to MSIT-approved encrypted media (encrypted flash drives or encrypted hard drives).
You are required to attend the computer orientation with your laptop so that your laptop can be configured, certified and approved for use on campus. Please be advised that an MSIT approved laptop is required in order for you to participate in required classroom activities and online examinations. Students will have the option of having their laptops configured with wireless and VPN during orientation. Once full-disk encryption and hardware/software requirements are verified, a non-transferable, tamper-evident sticker will be placed on your laptop, indicating that your laptop has been verified by MSIT and that it met all the
requirements at the time it was inspected. In order to stay compliant with UT IT Security policies, do not disable full-disk encryption or remove the login password for your Windows/Mac account. If you have questions or need assistance please check our FAQ page or contact the Lan Manager listed below (e-mail is preferred).
Contact Info
If you have questions about these requirements or need further assistance, please contact:
Ted Lo
Systems & Applications Specialist I
Medical School Information Technology
Location: Room MSB G.200 (Learning Resource Center – LRC)
Phone: 713-500-5162
Email: Ted.Lo@uth.tmc.edu
Ticket Request: https://uthealth.service-now.com/uthealth
See Laptop Requirements For Incoming Classes of: 2022 – 2021 – 2020 – 2019 – 2018 – 2017
== Laptop Requirements Page – FAQ Page ==
Date Content Last Modified: November 27, 2019 16:46 GMT