Graduate students enrolling at The College for Creative Studies will be required to own or purchase a laptop computer for their studies. If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please contact your department.
Email additional questions regarding laptop build requirements should be directed to the CCS Helpdesk at helpdesk@collegeforcreativestudies.edu.
Below are minimum suggested specs; better/faster/larger/newer is fine as long as supported by applicable application software. Information regarding software compatibility is available here:
https://campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/its/software-requirements/
Apple MacBook Pro
Educational discount available at Apple Stores or the Apple online educational store
(https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop).
Processor: M1 Pro or Better (8 core recommended for rendering)
Memory: minimum 32GB of unified memory
Hard Drive: minimum 512GB SSD storage
AppleCare 3-year protection plan: Highly recommended
Windows PC
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OS or Windows 11
Processor: 64-bit Intel® Xeon, or i-Series processor with Intel® or AMD equivalent. Highest affordable CPU speed with multiple cores recommended, 8 core minimum
Memory: minimum 32GB of memory
Graphic Card: Supported NVIDIA® or AMD graphics card with OpenGL 4.3 support and a certified driver. 8GB Memory minimum.
Hard Drive: minimum 512GB SSD
3-yr protection plan: Highly recommended
Required Software:
Adobe Creative Cloud – Provided through CCS for all registered students
Microsoft Office – Available for free at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office