Using the MacBook Pro with external Monitor and Keyboard

This may be a dumb question, but here it goes anyway:
Can I use the MacBook Pro with an external monitor and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse without having it opened all of the time ?
I am planning to buy a MacBook for my wife and most of the time she will be using it at her home office.
I don't want her to use the computer opened all of the time when she is actually looking at the separate screen and using a separate keyboard. Having the laptop opened will only accumulate dust and reduce the lifetime of the built in screen.
What I would actually need is a kind of "docking station", but Apple doesn't make that - I know.
So can the MacBook at least be operated without the internal screen powered on while it is closed?
Thanks for your help
Martin
Message was edited by: mdopp

Yes - it's called clamshell mode:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131

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