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.
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. Although in the past is has been possible to run Windows on Macbooks, Apple’s ARM-based Macs (M1) will not support Boot Camp to install and run Windows 10 on the machines. We highly recommend all incoming EDI freshmen to be equipped with computers with a Microsoft Windows operating system to run Windows apps required by the program. For this reason, we DO NOT suggest a Macbook for EDI students
Minimum Technical Guidelines
- Laptop Windows 10
- 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
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
- Dedicated, external hard drive for regular, local backups, 5TB
Optional Accessories
- External Mouse
- Protective Case
Fashion Design
In the fashion design industry, 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 / 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
- Dedicated, external hard drive for regular, local backups, 5TB
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, the Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 is the recommended laptop solution that also supports digital sketching.