All incoming students at Cummings School are required to have a laptop computer or tablet. You may purchase either a PC or a Mac; however, if you are considering a new purchase and have experience with PCs we highly recommend them in place of Macs because of compatibility with a variety of software we use in this program. We also recommend purchasing an extended warranty from the manufacturer to cover the cost of hardware repairs that may be needed.
Laptops (PC or Mac)/Mobile Devices
Hardware | Recommended for PC | Recommended for Mac |
Hard Drive | 250GB or greater Solid-State Drive, or a 512GB hard drive | 250GB or greater Solid-State Drive, or a 512GB hard drive |
Memory | 8Gb -16GB of RAM | 8Gb -16GB of RAM |
Operating System | Windows 10 Professional | OSX 10.14 |
Processor Recommended CPU: 4 cores, optimal 10 cores, Minimum 2 cores |
Intel i7 2.0Ghz | Intel i7 2.0Ghz |
Screen Resolution should be 1024x768 or higher at normal size with 24-bit color depth |
13"- 15” | 13"- 15” |
Hardware | Minimum for PC | Minimum for Mac |
Hard Drive | 256 GB hard drive | 256 GB hard drive |
Memory This is the absolute minimum for GIS but will be slower/harder |
4 Gb of RAM | 4 Gb of RAM |
Operating System | Windows 10 Professional | OSX 10.13 |
Processor | Intel i5 1.86Ghz | Intel i5 1.86Ghz |
Screen | 13” | 13” |
Software | Recommended for PC | Recommended for Mac |
Operating System | Microsoft Windows Version 7 or 10 64 Bit (Creators update for Win 10 not supported) | Mac OSX v.10.11 |
Office Suite | Microsoft Office 2010/2013/2016 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) | Office 2011/2016 for Mac |
Anti-Virus Protection | TrendMicro Antivirus | TrendMicro Antivirus |
Mobile Phones/Tablets | Android Tablet or Phone | iPhone, iPad, or iPod |
Operating System/iOS | OS 9.0 | OS 12.2 |
*When purchasing a new computer, Windows 10 is recommended; however, if you already have a computer with Windows 7, that is acceptable.
Tufts strongly recommends that all students with mobile devices such as an Android phone, Android tablet, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch have the most recent operating system. Please make sure your devices are set to be automatically updated by the vendor to ensure that your devices are always on the most current operating platform.
Tufts strongly recommends that students ensure their personal devices specifically laptops, tablets and phones have disk encryption toggled on. For PC’s please to go Control Panel select All Control Panel Items and then select BitLocker Drive Encryption
For a Mac encryption (File Vault) please see go to the Apple menu then System Preferences, then click Security & Privacy. Click the FileVault tab. Click , then enter an administrator name and password. Then Click to Turn On FileVault.
Things to Consider Regarding Security
Some additional Helpful Links
Tufts University has negotiated discounted prices with several vendors. Please view the recommended hardware and software list before you make your purchase. Check out Tufts on the hub for additional software and hardware options. https://tufts.onthehub.com/WebStore/Support/WebStoreHelpContents.aspx
Tufts University offers services to graduate students on the Grafton campus such as Computer Purchase Consultations, Data Recovery, and Computer Donation and Recycling. Information can be found on the university’s https://it.tufts.edu/it-computing/computers-labs-printing/computer-donation-and-recycling
Students who will be seeking financial aid should be aware that the cost of a laptop computer, up to certain limits, can be added to the student's budget for purposes of computing financial aid under the guidelines of the U.S. Office of Education. If you have questions about the financial aid application process, please contact the Office of Financial Aid here or call 508-839-8733 for detailed information, before purchasing your laptop.