Technology is an important part of the educational experience. In many cases, the technology may not be used in class but will be required to complete class assignments. Determining what technology is needed can often be confusing to students and their parents. To alleviate this confusion, the faculty in the Department of Communication Arts created technology standards, designed to help ensure that students have the computer technology they need.
General Requirements
Software
The Department utilizes two basic software packages in classes. The faculty in the Department suggest that students have (all Apps) and Microsoft 365. The University provides Adobe Creative Cloud for students in classes where the suite is required. Microsoft 365 is available at no cost to students.
Hardware
The Department of Communication Arts has five computer labs assigned for classes and for student use. Students can access all software required through these labs. If you plan to purchase a laptop or other smart device, please check the minimum system requirements for Adobe Creative Cloud and
The department does not recommend that you attempt to use a tablet or smartphone to complete course assignments.
Communication, Theatre, and Dance
A PDF version of this document is available.
Software
The Communication and Public relations programs use a number of different open-source software applications. The primary criteria for selection of applications include no cost, ease of use, and meet course learning objectives.
These applications include:
- (available by site license from the Department)
- Lucidchart
- Trello
- iMovie or Windows Moviemaker
Hardware
|
|
WINDOWS PC |
APPLE MACINTOSH |
| Operating System |
|
| MINIMUM |
| Windows 10 Home |
| RECOMMENDED |
| Windows 10 Pro or higher |
|
| MINIMUM |
| Mac OS 10.14 |
| RECOMMENDED |
| Mac OS 10.15 or higher |
|
|
Productivity Tools
|
|
Office 365 - 麻豆社 |
Office 365 - 麻豆社 |
| Processor Type |
|
|
| MINIMUM |
| Intel Core i5 Processor |
| RECOMMENDED |
| Intel Core i7 Processor or higher |
|
|
| MINIMUM |
| Intel Core i5 Processor |
| RECOMMENDED |
| Intel Core i7 Processor or |
| Apple M1 |
|
| Memory |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 8 GB RAM |
| Recommended |
| 16 GB RAM |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 8 GB RAM |
| Recommended |
| 16 GB RAM |
|
| Hard Drive |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 250 GB or higher |
| Do not purchase a 128 GB HD |
| RECOMMENDED |
| 500 GB or higher |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 250 GB |
| Do not purchase a 128 GB HD |
| RECOMMENDED |
| 500 GB or higher |
|
| Graphics Card |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 512 MB Video Memory or higher |
|
|
| Warranty (optional) |
|
4 year parts and labor |
3 year parts and labor AppleCare |
| A note on Netbooks/Chromebooks: Netbooks are truly only suitable for basic internet browsing and word processing and are NOT recommended for students. |
Peripherals
We recommend that students purchase the following items for a laptop:
- carrying case or laptop backpack
- the extended four-year warranty with accident protection
- either an external hard drive for backup or a remote backup service
We recommend that students purchase the following items for a tablet:
- Protective Cover
- Extended warranty
- Backup service (Cloud)
- Apple Pencil
- Smart Keyboard
Mass Media
A PDF version of this document is available.
Software
The Department utilizes four software packages in a majority of its classes. For video production, , , and (Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator) are the primary platforms media platforms and Office 365 for office work. The Department provides access to and via the computer lab. Adobe Creative Cloud is also available on lab computers and is provided to students in classes that Adobe is required.
Hardware
|
|
WINDOWS PC |
APPLE MACINTOSH |
| Operating System |
|
| MINIMUM |
| Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1909 or later |
| RECOMMENDED |
| Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1909 or later |
|
| MINIMUM |
|
Mac OS 10.14
|
| RECOMMENDED |
| MacOS v10.15 (Catalina) or later |
|
|
Productivity Tools
|
|
Office 365 - 麻豆社 |
Office 365 - 麻豆社 |
| Processor Type |
|
|
| MINIMUM |
| Intel® 6th Gen or newer CPU – or AMD Ryzen™ 1000 Series or newer CPU |
| RECOMMENDED |
| Intel® 7th Gen or newer CPU with Quick Sync – or AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series / Threadripper 2000 series or newer CPU |
|
|
MINIMUM
|
| Intel® 6thGen or newer CPU |
|
RECOMMENDED
|
| Intel® 7thGen or newer CPU or Apple silicon M1 or newer |
|
|
| Memory |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 8 GB RAM |
| Recommended |
| 16 -32 GB RAM |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 8 GB RAM |
| Recommended |
| 16-32 GB RAM |
|
| Hard Drive |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 250 GB or higher |
|
| RECOMMENDED |
| 500 GB or higher |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 250 GB or higher |
|
| RECOMMENDED |
| 500 GB or higher |
|
| External Storage (additional high-speed drive for media and archiving) |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 1 TB or higher |
| |
| RECOMMENDED |
| 2 TB or higher |
|
| MINIMUM |
| 1 TB or higher |
| |
| RECOMMENDED |
| 2 TB or higher |
|
| Graphics Card/GPU |
|
| MINIMUM |
2 GB of GPU memory
For a list of supported graphic cards, see Supported graphics cards for Adobe Premiere Pro. https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/system-requirements.html#gpu-acceleration |
|
|
MINIMUM
Apple Silicon: 8 GB of unified memory
Intel: 2 GB of GPU memory
|
|
|
| Sound Card |
|
ASIO compatible or Microsoft Windows Driver Model |
Integrated card |
| Warranty (optional) |
|
4 year parts and labor |
3 year parts and labor AppleCare |
| A note on Netbooks/Chromebooks: Netbooks are truly only suitable for basic internet browsing and word processing and are NOT recommended for students. |
Peripherals
The department also recommends that Mass Communication students purchase the following:
- a 16 Gb SDHC Class 10 SD card (e.g., Sandisk Pro Extreme SD) for use in video cameras.
- at least a 1-2 TB portable External Hard Drive for storing projects and for backup. Students should plan on the purchase of a second external drive at the beginning of their Junior year. This drive should be used exclusively for Mass Media productions. If you wish to backup other materials, you should plan on using a second drive.
- carrying case or laptop backpack.
- the extended four-year warranty for the laptop with accident protection.
- Over the ear headphones such as the Sony MDR7506 or Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
We also recommend that students purchase the following items for a tablet:
- Protective Cover
- Extended warranty
- Backup service (Cloud)
- Apple Pencil
- Smart Keyboard
Financial Assistance
It is often possible to obtain financial assistance to purchase a computer. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 allow for the purchase of a personal computer and software costs to be added to a student’s educational expense budget that is used to determine financial aid eligibility. A budget increase does not necessarily result in additional financial aid to cover the cost. Students who have borrowed their annual or aggregate loan limits may not have eligibility remaining.