The College of Business has a Windows-based laptop requirement.  All business students need consistent access to a laptop that runs Windows, meets the listed minimum specifications, and can be brought to class when there is in-class computer usage.  The College of Business wants to ensure all students have a capable computer for their courses and that it meets the minimum laptop requirements to run the business software that we use.

Business Courses Requiring Laptop Access

BUSCORE Courses

• IS 240 Information Systems in Business

Accounting Courses

• ACCT 201    Introduction to Accounting
• ACCT 214    Managerial Accounting
• ACCT 313    Auditing
• ACCT 321    Individual Federal Income Taxation  
• ACCT 314    Cost Accounting
• ACCT 417    Governmental and Nonprofit Organization Accounting
• ACCT 423    Corporate, Partnership, and Other Entity Tax  
• ACCT 460    Accounting Information Systems and Technology
• ACCT 470    Accounting Data Analytics

Finance Courses

• FIN 322    Investments
• FIN 326    Short Term Financial Management
• FIN 327    Long Term Financial Management
• FIN 328    Introduction to Derivative Securities
• FIN 337    Financial Modeling
• FIN 420    Corporate Valuation
• FIN 424    Portfolio Management
• FIN 428    Advanced Derivative Securities

Information Systems Courses

• IS 304     Fundamentals of Business Programming
• IS 307     Introduction to Business Analytics
• IS 308     Business Analytics Programming
• IS 310     Business Process Modeling
• IS 314     Advanced Business Programming
• IS 324     System Development Methodologies
• IS 344     Database Management Systems
• IS 345     Networking with Client Operating Systems
• IS 365     Information Assurance
• IS 375     Server-based Networking & Security
• IS 460     Seminar in Information Systems

Management Courses

• MGMT 343    Purchasing Management
• MGMT 344    Managerial Decision Modeling and Analysis
• MGMT 443    Process Simulation and Analysis
• MGMT 471    Entrepreneurship Capstone

Marketing Courses

• MKTG 338    Marketing Analytics and Technology
• MKTG 434    Advanced Marketing Analytics
• MKTG 438    Marketing Management

UW-Eau Claire Discount Packages

Dell

UW-Eau Claire has negotiated educational pricing on Dell computers for faculty/staff/student personal purchases.

Special pricing on Dell products

HP

HP is also an affordable windows-based laptop option. Currently, UW-Eau Claire does not partner with HP to offer a discount. 

HP Laptop Store

Apple

Apple offers standard academic discounts to UW-Eau Claire for faculty/staff/student personal purchases. However, Apple versions of many Microsoft applications (notably Excel and other Office 365 applications used extensively in the college) do not have the same features as the Windows versions. This means that Windows versions are required in the college. Fortunately, many Macs can run Windows and will meet the college's minimum computing requirements. Almost all Apple computers can run Windows via a virtual computing platform such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion

Special pricing on Apple products

Already Own a PC?

Do you already own a laptop PC? Make sure it meets the College of Business's minimum computing specifications.

Want to upgrade an already purchased PC? We suggest you first purchase additional RAM, then increase the size of the hard drive. These upgrade items will most affect enhanced performance.

Mac Users

Mac users have access to Microsoft Windows via UW-Eau Claire's virtual environment:
The virtual environment simulates a general access lab, enabling you to access software applications such as SAP, Oracle, Visio, and Office.

College of Business students who already own an Apple laptop, but are required to have access to a laptop running Windows, have the option of installing either VMWare or Parallels. Please note: It will be the student's responsibility to have either of these options pre-installed before they begin their classes. The College of Business will not install Windows on Macs.

VMware / Parallels

VMware Fusion and Parallels are two products that an Apple user can purchase to install on the Mac operating system. Both applications allow users to run Windows within an application through the Mac OS.

NOTE: Running the Windows OS through the Mac OS, this process is very a hardware intensive process. Users may experience slow performance.

Requirements: Intel Processor, Minimum 4GB of RAM, and 400MB of Free Disk Space

Learn more about VMware Fusion | Learn more about Parallels 

Printers

While printers are available on campus, the College of Business recommends that you purchase a desktop printer for added convenience.

Need Software?

The College of Business recommends you use Microsoft Office 365 Professional Plus software. You can purchase this software and other popular software packages at substantial discounts through the Wisconsin Integrated Software Catalog. You can also download Microsoft Office free via Microsoft 365. Other options are available by registering through the Microsoft Dev Tools for Teaching website for installing free software on your personal computers

Questions?

Contact David Nesvacil, College of Business Technical Services Coordinator.