Windows Art Computer
Each first-year or transfer student with a major housed in the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Interactive Multimedia, 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. Furthermore, while some prefer to own a Windows based computer, an Apple Computer allows for both operating systems to reside within the computer. This will provide more choices in software packages.
Windows Art Laptop
The Department of Art and Art History use Apple computers in their classrooms. For Visual Arts Majors in the Department of Art and Art History, Apple computers are highly recommended. The Department of Interactive Multimedia does not have a preferred platform, but the applications used in the curriculum demand a high-performance laptop workstation. The Department of Communication Studies use a combination of PC and Mac hardware and software and recommends using an Apple laptop with windows installed.
With all these ‘traditional’art features so cleverly transposed to digital, we reckon ArtRage is a great choice for anyone who loves the feel and looks of real paint and other art materials. There should be plenty to whet your creative appetites here, but if you want to take your art studies further, there are also some great human anatomy. A digital pen can do the same as a computer mouse and more, including drawing with a natural feel. You can navigate on your screen by hovering with your pen over the drawing tablet or the pen display. The cursor shows the position of your pen on screen. A Windows Theme is a visual pattern that predefines the collection of wallpaper, icons, pointer, screensaver, sounds or any color styles which together form the looks of your PC. You have the options to customize the themes to your likings and modify the standard interface of your Windows PC. This computer is one part PC, one part graphics tablet, and one part drafting table. It’s not often a product literally gets your pulse racing, but that’s what Microsoft has achieved here.
Minimum Hardware Specification Guidelines
Apple Mac Spec Minimum
15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display
https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch
2.8GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
512GB Solid State Drive (SSD) storage
Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB memory
Thunderbolt 3 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Windows Spec Minimum
Dell Alienware 15
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/new-alienware-15/spd/alienware-15-laptop/dkcwcflf022
8th Generation Intel Core™ i7-8550U Processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.0 GHz)
16GB RAM DDR4 2400MHz
512GB Solid State Drive (SSD) storage
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 OC with 6GB GDDR5
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.
Interactive Multimedia
The following are examples of software that students in Interactive Multimedia 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
Windows Rt Computer
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.
Windows Art Computer
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.