Program Technology Requirements
NBCC is a connected learning environment. Depending on your program of study, you may find that technology will play a greater role, not only as you study, but also in your future career. While not all programs have the same technology requirements, all students must have access to the internet to allow for a full educational experience. Technology typically comes in the form of a laptop but must meet the program technology requirements listed. Free Wi-Fi is provided on all campuses.
As a student at NBCC, you...
- have a world of knowledge at your fingertips via the NBCC wireless network.
- have all the required software provided for you.
- may find that your learning is delivered through technology. For example, you may have to participate in a virtual classroom, complete class assignments online, or maintain an electronic journal.
- have enhanced communication with your classmates and instructor.
- benefit from enhanced flexibility if you work, have family responsibilities or commute.
- technical support for all software required by NBCC provided your computer meets the required technical specifications as listed below for each program.
What are my program technology requirements?
To ensure the software required for your program operates properly, a laptop computer is required that meets our minimum specifications.
Computer Specifications
PLEASE NOTE: Google Chromebooks cannot run Windows and are NOT supported. Mac OS support is limited to students in the Graphic Design program.
Unless otherwise specified, all NBCC programs will require the following standard computer specifications. These specifications are required in order for you to take part in your educational learning. Internet access is required.
| Processor | Multi Core |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 8 GB or more |
| Hard Drive | 250+ GB SSD (solid-state drive) |
| Optical Device | DVD-RW (optional) |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6E |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet (optional) |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone Recommended: Second Monitor |
| Expansion Ports | External Display port, External Microphone/Line-In, Headphone/Line out, USB, HDMI |
| Mac Users | Although a PC is recommended, if you choose to bring an Apple computer, please be aware that some of your program applications may require Windows. In this case, you will need a solution such as Boot Camp or Parallels installed to run Windows 11 on your Apple computer. (Note: Apple M1 Products do not support Windows 10) |
| Processor | Intel Core i7, Xeon or better |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 32 GB or more |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB or more |
| Optical Device | DVD-RW (optional) |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi wireless AC |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone Recommended: Second Monitor |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 HD Resolution 17” Screen Recommended 4K monitors with scaling up to 200% supported |
| Video Card | Minimum: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 |
| Expansion Ports | External Display (HDMI preferred), External Microphone/Line-In, Headphone/Line out, USB |
| Example | MSI Apache Pro |
| Mac Users | Although a PC is recommended, if you choose to bring an Apple Computer (program specifications here), please be aware that some of your program applications may require Windows. In this case, you will need a solution such as Boot Camp or Parallels installed to run Windows 11 on your Apple computer. (Note: Apple M1 Products do not support Windows 10) NOTE: If you use a Mac, you must be able to run the latest operating system - MacOS version 12.7 and higher. |
| Graphics Tablet | Minimum 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity Minimum 16” display |
| Processor | 10th Generation Core Intel i7 or higher |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM (32 GB recommended) |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB or more (preferably NVMe M.2 solid state) |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi 6 Minimum | Wi-Fi 6E Recommended |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone Second Monitor Recommended |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 HD Resolution 15” Screen Minimum - 17” Screen Recommended |
| Video Card | Dedicated 4 GB RAM Minimum – 6 GB RAM Recommended Recommended – Nvidia RTX 20 Series or AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series (must be Meta Quest VR compatible) [see Requirements to use Meta Quest Link] |
| Expansion Ports | External Display, External Microphone/Line-In, Headphone/Line out, minimum of 1 - USB 3 port, 1-2 USB ports, HDMI, MS-Mouse |
| Mac Users | The software required for this course does not natively support MacOS, and therefore would not work as needed. |
| Processor | 10th Generation Core Intel i7 or higher |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 16 GB (32 GB recommended) |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB or more (preferably NVMe M.2 solid state) |
| Optical Device | DVD-RW (optional) |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6E |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone Second Monitor Recommended |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 HD Resolution 15” Screen Minimum - 17” Screen Recommended |
| Video Card | Dedicated 2GB Memory Minimum – 4GB Memory Suggested Suggested: NVIDIA GFX, GTX, RTX or Quadro series |
| Expansion Ports | External Display, External Microphone/Line-In, Headphone/Line out, minimum of 1 - USB 3 port, 1-2 USB ports, HDMI, MS-Mouse |
| Mac Users | The software required for this course does not natively support MacOS, and therefore would not work as needed. |
This program requires either a Mac or PC computer with the following minimum specs:
| Processor | Multicore Intel, AMD, or WinArm processor (PC) or ARM processor (Mac) |
| Operating System | Mac OS 13.7.6 or higher (Ventura), Mac OS 14.7.6 or higher (Sonoma), or Mac OS 15.5 or higher (Sequoia) – Security updates applied and English OS, or Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 16 GB (32 GB recommended) |
| Graphics | 4GB of GPU Memory |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB or more |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6E |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone Recommended: Second Monitor |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 HD Resolution (minimum) 13” Screen Minimum - 17” Screen Recommended |
| Expansion Ports | USB 3 port HDMI port 3.5 mm headphone jack |
This specification applies to the following Information Technology Programs: Cybersecurity; Software Development; Network Administration; Quality Assurance Testing; Business and Advanced Analytics; and Data Analytics.
| Processor | Intel Core i7 or higher, or AMD Ryzen 7 or higher |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 16 GB (32GB recommended) |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB Solid State Drive (SSD) |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6E |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Display | Minimum resolution 1920 x 1080 Second monitor is recommended |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone |
| Expansion Ports | External Display, External Microphone/Line-In, Headphone/Line out, USB, HDMI |
| Mac Users | Although a PC is recommended, if you choose to bring an Apple computer, please be aware that some of your program applications may require Windows. In this case, you will need a solution such as Boot Camp or Parallels installed to run Windows 11 on your Apple computer. |
| Processor | 11th Generation Core Intel i7 or higher |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (23H2 or higher) |
| Memory | 16 GB (32GB Recommended) |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB or more Solid State Drive (SSD) |
| Optical Device | DVD-RW (optional) |
| Wireless LAN | Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6E |
| Network | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Collaboration | Required: Web Cam, Headset with Microphone Recommended: Second Monitor |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 HD Resolution 17” Screen Recommended |
| Video Card | Dedicated 6GB Memory Minimum Minimum: Nvidia 5000 or the Radeon 6600 |
| Expansion Ports | External Display Port (HDMI preferred), External Microphone/Line-In, Headphone/Line out, USB |
| Mac Users | Not recommended for this program |
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your program and courses. In some classes, laptops are used extensively. In other classes, particularly those that rely on in-class discussion and debate, laptops are used for course management, research, assignments and communication between classes.
You will be provided with the software necessary for your classes. This may include: Microsoft Office Suite (word processing, spreadsheets, data management, data presentation), Internet browsers, accounting, and multimedia applications. Other software may need to be downloaded.
Campus technical support is available at each campus. They will ensure you have the proper software needed for class as well as provide technical support for printing and internet access. For more information please visit our IT Services website.
If you have any questions regarding program technology requirements or issues, please contact the IT Help Desk
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NBCC campuses are located on Mi’kmaq, Wolastoq and Peskotomuhkati homelands. Since 1726 this land has been subject to treaties that are still in effect today. We are grateful to learn together on this land and do so guided by the original spirit of those treaties - peace, respect and friendship.
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