Each first-year or transfer student with a major housed in the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Design and Creative Technology, the Department of Music, or the Department of Communication Studies is strongly recommended to own a personal laptop that meets a minimum specification established by those departments annually. In addition to a laptop, students will need the necessary software for coursework. Please note that all software needs will be listed in the course syllabus.
Having a personal laptop with all of the necessary software gives students the benefit of 24/7 access to complete their coursework, homework, and the ability to create high caliber portfolios. Students benefit from having more flexibility in working with professional workflow, file management, project archiving, and troubleshooting under deadlines. Students are strongly encouraged to bring their personal laptops to class. Doing so will provide workspace flexibility during studios and grant the student the opportunity to work with hardware and software that is more personally accessible.
While the provided minimum specifications in a laptop are essential to your academic computing experience, a higher performance standard may prove beneficial. Increasing the speed and the number of processors, the amount of RAM, the size of the hard drive, and the speed of the video card will result in a computer that is more likely to serve you for the duration of you program.
The School of the Arts and Communication recommends an Apple MacBook Pro with the specifications listed below. However, if a student would prefer a Windows computer, the specifications identified below would be acceptable. Regardless, students should NOT rely on machines like tablets, iPads, or Chromebooks as their main computing device.
Minimum Hardware Specification Guidelines
Apple
- Operating System – Any computer purchased will have an acceptable MacOS
- Screen Size – 14 or 16-inches (16-inch displays may be more useful for some creative work if a student is not connected to an external monitor, but 14-inches is still viable)
- Processor – Apple M1 Pro or higher (Some MacBook Pros, even if they meet all other recommendations, may have an Intel i7 or i9 processor if purchased before 2020. While this is still acceptable, some software developers may phase out support for this hardware in Macs within the coming years)
- Video Card – Apple M1 Pro 14-core or higher
- RAM – 16GB or higher
- Hard Drive – 512GB or higher Solid State Drive (SSD) (Sometimes finding a computer with larger storage can restrict what models are available to purchase, so this can be offset by students bringing a form of portable storage (such as a 1TB external hard drive)
Windows
- Operating System – Windows 10 or later
- Screen Size – Greater than 13.3 inches
- Processor – Intel Core i7 or higher. AMD Ryzen 7 or higher
- Video Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1600 or better. Alternative brands with similar performance may be acceptable
- RAM – 16GB or higher
- Hard Drive – 512GB or higher Solid State Drive (SSD) (Sometimes finding a computer with larger storage can restrict what models are available to purchase, so this can be offset by students bringing a form of portable storage (such as a 1TB external hard drive)
Recommended External Hard Drive Spec Minimum
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt USC-C Rugged Portable Hard Drives
https://www.lacie.com/products/rugged/
2TB
Thunderbolt 3/USB-C/USB 3 connectivity Mobile BUS powered
Software
In the age of disruptive technology and rapid-prototyping, industry software needs and use change very quickly. Today, nearly every software package in the creative industries is either free to students or lower cost with educational pricing for students and is available as a month-to-month subscription. As a way of responding to the ever-shifting landscape of creative software, instructors will list software that will be needed for their courses in the syllabus as they do with required textbooks and supplies.
Visual Art
The following are examples of software that students in Visual Art courses might use to complete coursework: Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign, After Effects, Illustrator, Audition, and Dreamweaver. These applications collectively are known as the Adobe Creative Cloud Applications.
Design and Creative Technology
The following are examples of software that students in Design and Creative Technology courses might use to complete coursework: Adobe Creative Cloud Applications, Processing, P5, Logic Pro X, Max, Xcode, and Titanium Studio.
Music
The following are examples of software that students in Music courses might use to complete coursework: Max, Logic Pro X, Audacity, and Finale.
Communication Studies
The following are examples of software that students in Communication Studies courses might use to complete coursework: Avid Media Composer, Avid Pro Tools, and Final Draft.
Non-studio intensive programs within the Departments may have less specialized software needs and may be able to meet their classroom expectations with standard productivity software such as Microsoft Office.
How to Use Your Financial Aid Package to Purchase a Laptop
Because hardware and software needs within the School are highly recommended, financial aid packages will be able to be adjusted accordingly. However, each student will need to meet with the Office of Financial Aid to have this equipment and software included in their package.