A MacBook Pro is required for all journalism majors. *PLEASE NOTE: According to our technical consultants, the specifications listed below are NOT standard on a 13" MacBook, but they can be purchased as add-ons. The specs listed below are standard on a 15" MacBook Pro. This could change depending on how Apple packages its products. While we realize that there is a price differential between the 13" and 15" MacBooks and that this price differential may impact purchasing decisions, please keep in mind that students will be editing video on their computers. That's why the software we use (Adobe Premiere) requires more memory and a faster processing speed. It should also be noted that, when comparing a 13" and a 15" monitor, and when one is using industry-quality software, bigger is better. Why? Because the on-screen display takes up a great deal of space.
As of July 2018, these are the technical specifications to run the Adobe Creative Suite:
- Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
- macOS X v10.11, v10.12 or v10.13
- 8 GB of RAM (16 GB or more recommended)
- 8 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices)
- 1280x800 display (1920x1080 or larger recommended)
- Sound card compatible with Apple Core Audio
- Optional: Adobe-recommended GPU card for GPU-accelerated performance
- Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.*
Additional software may be required at the course professor’s discretion.