The MEDS program requires all students to have a personal laptop to use during the program. Our curriculum is designed to work across different operating systems and computers, as long as they meet some minimum requirements.
If you have a Mac, be sure to update macOS to the newest supported version, as indicated by System Preferences→Software Update.
If you have a PC, you should have Windows 10 installed but if you don’t, you can purchase Windows 10 Education for $14.99 from UCSB.
If you are purchasing a new computer, we recommend:
If you are trying to decide between Mac and Windows we would recommend a Mac, but if you purchase or already have a Windows PC, don’t worry that will be just fine as long as it meets our minimum requirements.
You can purchase a Macbook Air using the higher education discount for $899 before tax and AppleCare. A PC can cost anywhere from $500 to more than $3,000; you generally get what you pay for.
If your computer breaks or dies, we can usually loan you a Windows laptop for up to a month, which should be long enough to have your computer repaired or buy a new one.
At home you may want to have a dedicated computer setup that includes an external monitor (or 2!), keyboard, and mouse. A stable at-home Wifi connection is necessary for completing work remotely (i.e. off-campus).