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All students are strongly encouraged to have a laptop computer. Students are also recommended to purchase additional warranty and coverage for accidental damage, external storage for secure backups of classwork and personal information, and a security lock.

Additional Recommendations for Specific Schools, Departments, and Programs


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titleSchool of Art
  • A laptop computer is expected for all students in the School of Art.
  • Majors in the School of Art are expected to have access to Adobe’s Creative Suite applications, and we recommend subscribing to the Creative Cloud Student Edition and either Microsoft Office or Apple iWork.
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titleDepartment of Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Students should own a computer. Computer labs are available for any platform-specific classes.

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titleSchool of Design

First-Year Experience

A laptop computer is expected for all students in the School of Design. The School recommends laptops for their easy portability between a residence and studio space. This computing flexibility is paired with access to the Warehouse computer lab for major-specific computer courses.

During the first year, students will be required and expected to have access to Adobe Creative Cloud and Trimble SketchUp Free. We recommend subscribing to Creative Cloud Student Edition. Syracuse University provides students with Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite. These services are ideal for backup, group work and file sharing.

Specific Computing Requirements by Major

Several programs in the School of Design have more specific requirements to run industry-related software. Students in these majors will be required to have a laptop computer that meets the minimum recommendations beginning their sophomore year.

Design Studies

Students should have a laptop capable of running Adobe Creative Cloud and Trimble SketchUp (Free), required for the First Year Experience. For specific areas of interest that students may consider pursuing, they should consider the requirements of other Design majors.

Communications Design

The Communications Design major— much like the Communications Design industry— uses Apple Macintosh computers as their primary tool platform for getting work done. Based on our experience we offer the following guidelines as a set of minimum requirements for student computers.

Minimum Guidelines

  • Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription (Academic Pricing)
  • Apple MacBook Pro with 13” – 16” Display
  • Minimum 16GB RAM
  • Minimum 512GB Hard Drive (Internal)

Additional Smart Computing Tools

  • AppleCare+Extended Warranty and Support / Buying through SU Bookstore offers extended warranty with longer coverage than AppleCare
  • (2) USB 3.0 Flash drive — 64GB Min
  • USB C to USB Dongle

Optional Accessories

  • External Mouse
  • Protective Case

Environmental & Interior Design

Students in the EDI program will need the computing capacity to run Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk AutoCAD, McNeel Rhino 3D (windows os), Trimble Sketchup, Autodesk Revit, and rendering plug-ins such as Enscape or Keyshot.

The EDI program and Warehouse Lab are set up to principally support computers with a Microsoft Windows operating system. However, students can purchase and use Apple Macintosh computers running macOS if they prefer. To run Windows programs such as AutoCAD and Rhino on a Mac, students will need to run Windows using Apple’s Boot Camp, a feature built-in to macOS.

Minimum Technical Guidelines

  • Laptop Windows 10 (preferred) or Mac OS X (with Bootcamp)
  • Intel Core i7 (hex core or better preferred)
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 500 GB+ SSD
  • 4 GB+ dedicated Video Graphics card. (Avoid Intel or integrated graphics) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD equivalent with 4GB VRAM recommended. RTX for higher performance.
  • 15” Display (Display resolution 2560 x 1440 or higher)
  • External optical mouse

Additional Smart Computing Tools

  • 3 year on-site/at home warranty or AppleCare+Extended Warranty and Support
  • External 1 TB+ USB SSD or hard drive for extra storage and backup

Optional Accessories

  • Protective Case
  • External 24”+ monitor with HDMI port (plus HDMI cable and USB-C to HDMI converter)
  • 128 GB+ USB flash drive
  • Video adapters, VGA or HDMI connection

Fashion Design

The Fashion Design major—Apple Macintosh computers are used as a primary tool platform for getting work done. We offer these guidelines for minimum requirements for fashion design student computers.

Minimum Guidelines

  • Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription (Academic Pricing)
  • Apple MacBook Pro with 13” – 16” Display
  • Minimum 16GB RAM
  • Minimum 512GB Hard Drive (Internal)

Additional Smart Computing Tools

  • AppleCare+Extended Warranty and Support
  • (2) USB 3.0 Flash drive — 64GB Min
  • USB C to USB Dongle

Optional Accessories

  • External Mouse
  • Protective Case

Industrial & Interaction Design

Students in the IID program will need computing capacity to run Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk products, SolidWorks, Rhino 3D and KeyShot.

Minimum Guidelines

  • Laptop Running Microsoft Windows 10
  • 15” Display or larger (Display resolution 2560 x 1440 or higher)
  • VR ready (Intel Core I7, 16 GB RAM, Nvidia GT 1060 (recommended: RTX)
  • 500 GB SSD

For digital sketching, it is recommended that students purchase either a Wacom or Huion digital pen tablet to use with their laptop or an iPad. For students that desire a comprehensive all in one solution, theWacom MobileStudio Pro 16 is the recommended laptop solution that also supports digital sketching.

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titleDepartment of Drama

Acting or musical theater majors

  • Personal computers are strongly recommended but not required.

Theater design and technology or stage management majors

  • Students are required to have: a laptop (Windows or Mac) with good wireless capability (dual-band 802.11n), Microsoft Office, an external portable drive for file transfer and backup, and a security lock.

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titleDepartment of Transmedia

All transmedia majors are expected to have access to Adobe’s Creative Suite applications, and we recommend subscribing to the Creative Cloud Student Edition. After the first year, additional software purchases for all majors will be required based on course of study and are included in course syllabi.

Apple and Adobe products are available at academic discounts from the SU Bookstore. Autodesk offers free software downloads to members of their Education Community.

Art Photography Majors

  • Minimum requirement: Apple 15″ MacBook Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Art Video Majors

  • Minimum requirement: Apple 15″ MacBook Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Computer Art and Animation Majors

  • Recommended computer: Dell Precision 5000 Series. Adobe Creative Cloud and Autodesk Maya. Autodesk offers free software downloads to members of their Education Community.

Film Majors

  • Minimum requirement: Apple 15″ MacBook Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud.