Hardware
A computer
You will need regular access to a laptop or desktop computer. You may also be able to use a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone to access learning content, but these may not be sufficient for assessment.
Most courses do not require high specification hardware, as you will mainly need to access the internet and run basic software - but please do check as some courses may require the use of more specialist software.
An example minimum Windows laptop specification would be: an i5 processor, 8Gb RAM and 256GB SSD drive - so if your computer was purchased within the last five years you should be fine.
Internet connection
While much of the learning content can be completed asynchronously, many courses include high quality video and live online tutorials.
To make the most of this we recommend that you have a reasonably fast and reliable connection (e.g. 10 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload speed).
Headset and webcam
For the best experience in live online sessions, you should look to have a headset with a built-in microphone.
While you can join with in built microphone and speakers, a headset will make it easier for your voice to be picked up clearly, and will likely reduce the amount of sound technical issues for you and others on the call.
White you may not always be able to switch your webcam on, live sessions are often more vibrant when you can see who you’re communicating with. You don’t need a high resolution webcam - if your laptop has one already this should be fine, and you can purchase a basic one for a desktop computer if needed.
Software
Operating system
Windows, macOS or Unix/Linux operating systems capable of running a modern web browser: eg Windows 10 or later, Mac OS X 10.13 or late, iOS: last two versions 15, 16, Android last three versions 11, 12, 13
Browser.
You will need an up to date version of a web browser such as Edge, Safari, Chrome or Firefox, which are all free to download.
Your browser must be Javascript enabled and some services and tools may only run properly on specific browsers, so you may occasionally need to download more than one. Older browsers may work but are not regularly tested and are not recommended.
Some services will only run properly on certain browsers so you may need to download more than one.
Latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari. Internet Explorer is not recommended, but IE11+ should work for most activities..
In addition, some 'plugins' such as Java, Flash and a few other plugins for the web may be required.
Other software
You will be given access to Office 365 ProPlus for your personal use whilst studying with King’s.
Our agreement enables the use of the full MS Office 365 productivity suite with access to five licences for Windows PC, five for Apple Mac and five for mobile devices (Apple and Android), all free of charge.
Office365 includes key applications such as MS Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms, OneNote, and OneDrive.
(Note that some of these may need to be directly installed on your machine to access full functionality, which can require administrator privileges).
You can find specific requirements for these licensed pieces of software on Microsoft 365 and Office Resources help pages.