The College of Communication Arts and Sciences Incoming Freshman Computer Recommendations
All undergraduate students at Michigan State are required to have a computer that can connect to the Internet using a high-speed connection. This document outlines the University requirement, some suggestions from the College, and special recommendations for those interested in the creative and design disciplines. The University Requirement The computer can either be a desktop or portable. The computer must have an Ethernet connection and a modern Web browser. If you choose a laptop computer, then you should consider having a machine that is equipped not only with an Ethernet card, but also with a wireless card so that you can communicate wirelessly with the MSU network. The MSU wireless network supports all current wireless communication protocols (802.11a, b, g). The computer should run on either Mac OS X or Windows XP operating system or newer. Additional information on the University Computer Requirement, including details on financial aid support, is available at: http://computing.msu.edu/ If you already own a computer that meets these requirements, you are welcome to bring it with you. However, we understand that many of you will need or want to purchase a new computer for your studies at MSU. While you are free to buy or lease a computer from any source you choose, the MSU Computer Store (http://cstore.msu.edu) offers a wide range of computers at discounted prices from major manufacturers, including Apple, Dell, Gateway, IBM, and Toshiba. A computer purchased from the MSU Computer Store can be delivered directly to your dorm and be set up for network access, so that it is ready shortly after you move in. The MSU Computer Store also has greatly reduced academic pricing (up to 75% off) on software from Adobe, Apple, Macromedia, Microsoft, and many other software vendors. College Suggestions If you are purchasing a new computer, The College of Communication Arts & Sciences and its respective departments have generated a list of suggestions to assist you in your purchasing decision. Past experience with our students, as well as industry trends, are the basis for these suggestions. They should not be viewed as requirements. General College Hardware Recommendations
1GB RAM or better 60 GB hard drive or better USB interface
General College Software Recommendations
Microsoft Office (available at the MSU computer store) Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.0, Safari 2.0 or better (available for free download) FTP software (available for free download)
Recommendations for Creative and Design Disciplines Within the Department of Advertising Public Relations and Retailing, The School of Journalism, and the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media there are several creative and design courses that make extensive use of digital media applications. Many of these courses require use of high-end hardware and software applications. High-end computing facilities are available within the College for student use. We do not expect students to have comparable resources in their dorm rooms. Therefore, students should not expect to be able to complete all their computing work on their own computers. However, by taking note of some of these suggestions, it may ease the movement between your personal computer and the College’s computing facilities. Additional hardware suggestions for creative and design disciplines
A DVD-RW and/or CD-RW drive is recommended for storage, backup, and transfer of files between the labs and your computer. A Firewire (IEEE1394) interface is recommended for interfacing with the Digital Video cameras that are available for checkout in the College. Most of the computing facilities within the College for these creative disciplines are based on the modern Macintosh platform (Mac OS X). The Macintosh platform was chosen primarily to reflect its strong adoption and use within the creative and design industries. Further, the modern Macintosh computers are standard-equipped to support the digital creation and design tasks taught in the College. However, software parity is more important than hardware parity when trying to configure a computer to interface well with the College’s computing facilities. If you do choose the Macintosh platform, you can make a purchase on the College of Communication Arts & Sciences Apple Store at http://infotech.cas.msu.edu.
Below is the common suite of software applications used in the creative and design courses and available in the College’s computing facilities. We do not expect you to purchase and have this software installed on your computers. It is primarily listed here for your reference. In the past, some students have acquired a few of these applications. However, we suggest that you wait until you take a course that makes use of them, as software applications are frequently updated and may change.
Digital Video Editing - Apple Final Cut Pro and Apple DVD Studio Pro Image Creation and Manipulation - Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Web Design – Macromedia Dreamweaver Page Design and Layout –Adobe InDesign Interactive Multimedia – Macromedia Flash and Macromedia Director Sound Editing – Apple SoundTrack Pro 3D Modeling and Rendering – Discreet 3DSMax or Alias Maya Game Development – Torque Game Engine
Questions If you have questions about these suggestions from the College, you may contact the Information Technology Office by email at commarts@msu.edu or by phone at 517.355.3410.