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Laptop requirements

CCS Laptop Requirements & Recommendations

Department Specific Requirements

The following departments have a personal laptop computer requirement for incoming students in the 2017-18 academic year:

  • Communication Design (Graphic Design)
  • Advertising: Design 

The the minimum hardware and software requirements for the above majors includes the following:

Apple MacBook Pro

15" Touch Bar and Touch ID
2.2 GHz 6 core 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB RAM minimum with up to 32GB if possible
Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB Memory
512GB SSD minimum up to 1TB if possible

AppleCare 3-year protection plan

Adobe Cloud Subscription

Purchase Now 

Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) 

Purchase Now

Adobe Font Folio for Education 
(Graphic Design Students only; highly recommended)

General Undergraduate (BFA) Computer & Technology Recommendations

Excluding Communication Design, Advertising: Copywriting & Advertising: Design, CCS departments do not have a computer/technology requirement at this time; inquire with your department for technology recommendations specific to your major. Below are the general technology recommendations for CCS students.

Apple MacBook Pro

15" Touch Bar and Touch ID
2.2 GHz 6 core 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB RAM minimum with up to 32GB if possible
Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB Memory
512GB SSD minimum up to 1TB if possible

AppleCare 3-year protection plan

AppleCare covers your laptop against all defects and most mechanical issues; it provides onsite or phone service and support as well as global service, parts and labor for all covered needs. It does not cover loss or physical damage.

It is not unusual to experience at least one failure or need for repair in 3 years, such as a hard drive failure, graphics card failure, an issue with your screen or with the laptop case. The labor and parts for such repairs are covered under AppleCare, saving you time, money, and frustration.

We recommend carrying insurance on your laptop to cover loss or damage through you or your parents homeowners insurance or through a personal property insurance policy.

For information on Dell educational discounts, please contact with your name, address, phone, and email.

Windows PC

Dell Precision 7520: 15”
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OS
Intel Core i7-7820HQ (quad core 2.90 Ghz)
512GB Solid State Drive
16GB Memory
NVidia Quadro M2200 4GB

Required Software
Adobe Creative Cloud: $120.00 a year
Microsoft Office: Available for free

Graduate students enrolling at The College for Creative Studies will be required to own or purchase a laptop computer for their studies. The information below provides the recommended minimum hardware configuration and software requirements. Students will also have access to computers in the Graduate Lab and other sites on campus which will provide access to the software.

If you have any questions about computer or software purchases, please contact Laurie Evans, Director of Academic Technologies at 313-664-1501 or .

Be sure to use your educational discount available at Apple Stores or the Apple online educational store. For information on Dell educational discounts, please contact your name, address, phone, and email. 

MFA Colors and Materials
MFA Integrated Design
MFA Interaction Design

Mac Book Pro laptop: 15”
2.8 GHz Quad core Intel Core i7
16GB RAM
512GB SSD minimum up to 1TB if
possible
AppleCare 3-year protection plan

MFA Transportation Design

Dell Precision 7520: 15”
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OS
Intel Core i7-7820HQ (quad core)
2.90 Ghz
512GB 2/5” SATA Solid State Drive
16GB Memory
NVidia Quadro M2200 4GB

Or

Mac Book Pro laptop: 15”
2.8 GHz Quad core Intel Core i7
16GB RAM
512GB SSD minimum up to 1TB if
possible
AppleCare 3-year protection plan

Required Software

Adobe Creative Cloud
$120.00 a year
Purchase Now 

Microsoft Office
Available for free
Get it Now 

Rhino 
(Integrated Design only; optional for Colors and Materials)

Alias 
(Transportation Design only) 
Available for free
Get it Now 

ZBrush
(Transportation Design only)
$425.00 - $450.00 (depending on academic retailer)
one-time purchase with free upgrades for all updates
Get it Now

Policies Governing Laptop Use at CCS

Recommendations

How To Purchase

Apple
Available at the online Apple Store for Education, any Apple Store location or Best Buy.

Windows PC
Available at Dell online; be sure to shop in the student/education store or contact Dell for information on your student discount.

Adobe Cloud Subscription
Available online: Adobe Cloud

Microsoft Office Suite
Available online: Microsoft Office

Protecting Your Laptop

CCS recommends that you carry the maximum warranty protection available for your laptop. For your MacBook Pro, we strongly recommend the AppleCare 3-year protection plan, as it covers your laptop against all defects and most mechanical issues; it provides onsite or phone service and support as well as global service, parts and labor for all covered needs. It does not cover loss or physical damage. It is not unusual to experience at least one failure or need for repair in 3 years, such as a hard drive failure, graphics card failure, an issue with your screen or with the laptop case. The labor and parts for such repairs are covered under extended warranties, saving you time, money, and frustration. In addition, we recommend carrying personal property insurance or adding your laptop to your parents’ or your own homeowners’ or renters insurance to cover damage, theft, or loss.

Protecting Your Work

Students with laptops should also have an External Hard Drive with a minimum of 1 Terabyte of storage. We strongly recommend keeping your External Hard Drive in a consistent, clean environment (such as your desk) and that you back up your laptop once a day and that you do not carry your External Hard Drive around with you in a back pack or other case and use it continually to access files. This will help to extend the life of your External Hard Drive and protect against file corruption or crashing your Drive. When connecting the Hard Drive you are using for back up for the first time, format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If you will be using your Hard Drive to share files between a Mac and a PC, format it as Fat32.

Support for Your Laptop

The Academic Technologies Department has technicians available Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. -10:00 p.m. and Fridays, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. for students who are seeking technical help with their required laptop. If your issue requires repair, Academic Technologies will refer you to area authorized service centers.

Please Note: Students are required to keep software and operating updated at least yearly to remain compatible with CCS lab machines, rendering computers, output equipment, and other campus technologies

FAQs

Why is an Apple MacBook Pro Required?

The laptop is a core creative tool for research, design, and production, and in the creative industry Apple is the dominant computer system. We require a MacBook Pro to help our students remain flexible and poised to participate in cutting edge education and to facilitate a more interdisciplinary and collaborative educational experience.

Working with Macs now will assure a seamless transition from student to professional. Because of Apple’s long history of being the “designer’s computer,” it has focused on improving the entire workflow experience, particularly when handling graphics, color and fonts. Further, there are a significant number of useful tools for designers that are built into the Mac operating system.

Easily Share and Collaborate
Apple has created an ecosystem of devices and services that work seamlessly together. Students and faculty alike can easily share and sync files in real-time, an increasingly important part of the design process. A student can develop a prototype on their MacBook Pro, test and share those files on the iPhone and iPad and ultimately present to the class using Apple TV.

An Integrated Approach
Unlike other computer platforms, Apple is unique in that it designs and supports both the hardware and the software (operating system), thus creating the entire user experience. This integrated approach allows for an incredibly reliable platform which maximizes user experience and performance. While core software runs similarly on a Mac or a PC at a similar price point, this is only one component in your learning experience. With all the students working with the same hardware and software the learning experience is placed on a level field. When the instructor discusses a feature or requests a certain method it will be consistent on all the students’ computers.

Where Do I Go for Technical Assistance for my Laptop?

When you have a problem and deadlines need to be met it is important to know that CCS and Apple have people who know your system. CCS has staff to aid you, who are trained in the MAC operating system and can help you with a variety of issues. Additionally, Apple has impressive and consistently highly rated customer service and product reliability.

If a technical issue is beyond the skills of the CCS technology staff, you can take your laptop to one of the many Apple stores or Apple certified service centers in the metro Detroit area or call Apple Support through your Apple Care Protection Plan.

Where Do I Go for Help in Using my Laptop?

If you need help in learning how to use the Apple Operating system or other aspects of your Mac laptop, ask your instructor for guidance. Your instructor will be able to work with you or pair you up with another student in your department, further enhancing our collaborative learning environment. If you need help using any software for your work, you may also visit the Student Success Center, where Peer Tutors are available to work with you.