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.
Students should own a computer. Computer labs are available for any platform-specific classes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Students in the IID program will need computing capacity to run Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk products, SolidWorks, Rhino 3D and KeyShot.
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.
Students in the Setnor School of Music use computers to access course materials, research music concepts, strengthen music theory and aural skills, collaborate with classmates, and communicate with faculty. Student computers should be capable of word processing, e-mail, internet browsing, music notation, and audio/midi/video editing. The Setnor School of Music supports student use of both Macintosh and PC platforms. It is strongly recommended that students consider purchasing a 15 inch MacBook Pro laptop computer model tailored for use at Syracuse University. Detailed information, including specifications and ordering information for the preferred laptops, is available online at the SU Bookstore or SU IT Services. The Setnor School of Music also strongly recommends students purchase Microsoft Office and Sibelius music notation software (version 7 or later) for use on their computer.
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.