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Open Laptop Program

All students enrolled in academic programs on the San Francisco campus are required to have a laptop that meets the "Open Laptop Program" minimum requirements by the first day of class. Students must pre-register their private laptop. Instructions on how to pre-register will be emailed one to two months before class starts.

If students do not currently have a personal laptop, we strongly recommend that they purchase through our links under Recommended Laptops and take advantage of onsite support.

Minimum Laptop Specifications

The following are the minimum specifications required to be in compliance with this program:

Hardware

NO Chromebook laptop. Your laptop must have the following:

CPU Intel Core i5 or higher
Memory 8 GB or higher
Solid state drive 256 GB or higher

Windows

Windows 10 (Pro, Enterprise or Education version)
- If you have the Home version, you can upgrade to the Education version. See instructions when you register your laptop.
Microsoft Office
- Get Office 365 free
Security software with an up-to-date virus definition file
Wireless capability (wireless adapter A/B/G and N)
Internet Explorer (IE) version 11 or above or current-version Firefox
An Ethernet port, or a USB-ethernet port adapter, which would allow you to get an Ethernet connection, when needed
Laptop must be encrypted

Mac

OS 10.12 (Sierra) or above
Microsoft Office
- Get Office 365 free
Security software with up-to-date virus definition file
Wireless capability (wireless adapter A/B/G and N)
An Ethernet port, or a USB-ethernet port adapter, which would allow you to get an Ethernet connection, when needed.
Laptop must be encrypted (e.g. FileVault2)

Recommended Laptop

The recommended laptops for students are Apple and HP, which may be purchased through the following links:

Apple
HP

Benefits of Purchasing a Recommended Laptop

The use of a recommended laptop has a number of benefits. Recommended laptops are pre-configured and pre-tested to insure that they are able to effectively work with network communications, printing resources, and other services supported by the dental school.Recommended laptops will receive the following support, through the dental school's IT Help Desk services:

Installing school software
Assistance in connecting to the wireless network, printing, etc
Removing and preventing viruses and spyware
Troubleshooting and tuning up (running updates, etc.)

IT Help Desk support does not include repairs to laptops. For that you must find an off-campus repair facility.

Getting Help

Bring your laptop to the IT Help Desk in room 107. You will be asked to complete a service form describing the type of assistance you are requesting. An IT person will provide basic support, including installing software. If other problems are present, such as viruses or spyware, which may prevent connection to the wireless network, or if you are requesting more advanced troubleshooting assistance, your laptop will be left for an IT technician to diagnose.

Technology Fee

The "technology fee" paid by students at the dental school covers the cost of a number of items that comprise the School of Dentistry Open Laptop Computer Program, including, but not limited to the following: