The USF student spreadsheet standard is Excel 2010 for Windows. In the Academic year 2012-2013 students will use Microsoft Excel 2010.
Background
There are currently two common versions of Excel: 2011 (Mac), and 2010 (Windows). The Windows and Mac versions have different user interfaces. If you know one version, you won't necessarily be familiar with certain functions in a different version. Each version has different feature sets, so things that work on one version sometimes don't work on another.
This proliferation of Excel versions can be challenging for faculty and students. Students using a different version of Excel than the instructor, the textbook, or the reader may not be able to follow or imitate what is going on in class. Students cannot easily collaborate on group tasks if an Excel file that one student creates is a different format than the file of his peer. Faculty may not be able to answer simple questions if the student has a different version of Excel. Two older versions, Excel 2007 and Excel 2008, are no longer available, but are still used by some people.
Therefore, a task force of faculty from the School of Management and the Arts and Sciences Math Department decided the standard for all undergraduate courses teaching on Excel should be Excel 2010. Excel 2010 has a clearly superior feature set compared to other versions. Commercial add-ins used in the School of Management to extend the capabilities of Excel generally don't run on other versions.
Upgrading to Office 2010
Most students with Microsoft Windows computers and Microsoft Office already have Excel 2010. Those who do not will need to purchase and install Office 2010. Students with Macs will need to install additional virtualization software that lets them run Microsoft Windows alongside their Mac OS. This requires an Intel Mac and cannot be run on older PowerMacs (e.g. PowerBook G4). Students may also need to increase system memory (RAM) to accommodate Excel 2010.
Please see below for the minimum system requirements, links for ordering software and memory, and instructions for installing the software once you've purchased it. Please make sure you meet the minimum system requirements before beginning to install any software.
Minimum Requirements
Windows
- Minimum processor Pentium 500 MHz
- 512 MB RAM, 1 GB strongly recommended
- 3.0 GB of free disk space
How to check your RAM, Processor, and Disk Space
Macintosh
- Intel-based processor, 1.5 GHz or faster
- At least 1 GB of RAM, 2 GB strongly recommended
- Mac OS X version 10.4.11 or higher
- 500 MB of free disk space for VMware Fusion, and at least 5 GB of free disk space for each virtual machine
- Two-button mouse recommended
How to check your RAM, Processor, and Disk Space
Ordering/downloading Software and RAM
Software
There are two different USF-affiliated options students may use to acquire the software mentioned within this website.
- Navigate to estore.usfca.edu where students may gain access to: (Please see details regarding this option on the eStore site.)
- The software is also available in the Campus Bookstore in the lower level of University Center. You can choose to order the software from JourneyEd.com's USF Student Online Store by clicking on the link below and then clicking on the Mac Excel User Bundle link on the right side of the screen below the "Academic Pricing Just Got Better!" graphic.
Mac users without any virtualization or Windows software will need to order the complete bundle of VMware Fusion, Windows 7 upgrade, and Office 2010.
Windows users will only need to purchase Office 2010, which is available under the Mac Excel User Bundle link, or separately on the main JourneyEd USF store page. (Both Office 2010 Standard and Professional include Excel. Professional includes the Access database program, and costs slightly more.)
RAM
You can order additional RAM, if necessary, from Crucial.com at the link below. You can scan your system using the Crucial System Scanner tool or use the Crucial Memory Advisor tool to step through choices to find the correct upgrade for your manufacturer and model.
If you need assistance installing RAM or upgrading your hard drive if you don't have enough disk space, authorized service vendors near USF are listed below.
Note: USF has no formal relationship with the vendors and will not assume liability in any dispute between these vendors and members of the USF community.
| Computer 5000 |
Total Mac |
5000A Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-668-5000
PC and Macintosh service |
3139 Geary Blvd., Suite A
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-386-4320
Macintosh service |
If you have questions before you purchase software or RAM, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 415-422-6668 or itshelp@usfca.edu.
Installing Software
Please click on one of the links below for instructions to install the required software for your operating system.
