Resources
Department Specific Laptop Requirements
The following departments have a personal laptop computer requirement for incoming students:
Advertising Design & Communication Design
Advertising Design and Communication Design students 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. If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please contact your Department Chair.
Required Hardware
Apple MacBook Pro 13”
- Processor
2.8GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.7Ghz - Memory
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory - Graphic Card
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 - Hard Drive
512GB SSD storage
or
Apple MacBook Pro 16”
- Processor
2.6GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.5Ghz - Memory
32GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory - Graphic Card
Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory - Hard Drive
512GB SSD storage
Apple Macbook Pro w/educational discount
Recommended: AppleCare 3-year protection plan
Required Software
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Provided through CCS for all registered students
- Microsoft Office (free with CCS login credentials)
Graduate students 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.
Color & Materials Design, Integrated Design and Interaction Design
Transportation Design
Required Software
All MFA Programs
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Provided through CCS for all registered students
- Microsoft Office (free with CCS login credentials)
MFA Color & Materials Design
MFA Integrated Design (Optional):
MFA Transportation Design:
- Autodesk Alias
- ZBrush
Recommended:- Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet - Small or Medium
Laptop Recommendations for Departments Without Requirements
The following recommendations are for undergraduate departments at CCS that do not currently have a specific requirement for laptops. Before purchasing a laptop, we recommend contacting your department to confirm your choice.
Recommended Hardware
Recommended Software
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Provided through CCS for all registered students
- Microsoft Office (free with CCS login credentials)
A Note on Specifications
All of these requirements and recommendations are the minimum suggested specs; better/faster/larger/newer is fine as long as supported by applicable application software. More information on software compatibility.
Email questions regarding laptop build requirements should be directed to the CCS Helpdesk at helpdesk@collegeforcreativestudies.edu .
Laptop Support
Information Technology Services offers limited support assistance for personally owned laptops. If you are experiencing issues you should submit a Help Desk ticket through the QuickLinks menu on the CCS Blackboard page. Unfortunately, the Information Technology Services Department cannot perform repair or installation work on computers that are not owned by CCS.