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Laptop Requirement

Most Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts students are required to have a laptop computer to complete their coursework. There are several majors listed below where the university-supplied iPad will suffice, but for those majors, we still recommend a laptop for the best college experience.

A brand-new laptop is not required as long as it meets the minimum specifications below, but note that students arriving with older or less powerful laptops may find that they need to upgrade to a newer laptop at some point while attending Bradley University. Students with minors or second majors should check with those departments to make sure they are also meeting any other technology requirements.

For any questions about the laptop requirement for the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, please contact Dave Lennie using the information to the right.

If you are purchasing an Apple laptop, visit the Bradley Apple Store online for discounted pricing (proof of student status may be required).

Minimum specifications for all students

  • Computer made within the past 3 years
  • 256GB SSD (Solid State Drive) (512GB or more recommended)
  • 8GB RAM (16GB RAM is recommended)
  • Able to run the current version of Mac OS or Windows

Requirements and recommendations by department and major

All Music and Theatre Arts Majors

  • Required: Macbook or PC laptop that meets the minimum specs above.

Communication Majors

  • Organizational Communication and Sports Communication majors can utilize the University-issued iPad. Recommend: Mac or PC that meets the minimum specs above.

    • Recommended: Mac or PC that meets the minimum specs above.

  • Journalism, Media Production, and Advertising-Public Relations majors are required to have a Mac or PC that meets the minimum specs above.

Art and Design

  • Graphic Design and Photography majors are required to have: Apple MacBook Air meeting the minimum specs above (preferred) OR a PC laptop meeting the minimum specs above.

    • Recommended: Apple MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage.

  • All other Art and Design majors can utilize the University-issued iPad.

    • Recommended: Mac or PC laptop that meets the minimum specs above.

Interactive Media

  • Animation majors are required to have either a MacBook Pro (preferred) or a PC gaming laptop meeting the following specs:
    • Apple MacBook Pro with M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max processor
    • Minimum 16GB of RAM
    • Minimum 512GB solid-state drive
    • Additional equipment: 3-button mouse

      • OR

    • PC Gaming laptop with Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor
    • Minimum 16GB of RAM
    • Minimum 512GB solid-state drive
    • Additional equipment: 3-button mouse
  • Game Design and Game Art majors are required to have a Windows Gaming laptop meeting the following specs:
    • Intel I7/AMD Ryzen 7 series processor or better
    • GeForce RTX 3000 series video card or better
    • Minimum 32GB RAM
    • Minimum 1TB solid-state drive
    • Additional equipment: 3-button mouse
  • User Experience Design majors are required to have a MacBook laptop meeting the following specs. A MacBook is preferred but you may opt for a comparable PC.
    • Apple MacBook Pro (preferred) or MacBook Air
    • M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max processor
    • Minimum 16GB of RAM
    • MMinimum 512GB solid-state drive
    • Additional equipment: 3-button mouse

      • OR

    • PC Gaming laptop with Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor
    • Minimum 16GB of RAM
    • Minimum 512GB solid-state drive
    • Additional equipment: 3-button mouse

For additional information on the laptop requirement, please contact our technical staff:

David Lennie

David Lennie

Director of Instructional Technology

    Caterpillar Global Communication Center 131
    (309) 677-3641
   dlennie@bradley.edu

Productivity Software

Microsoft is offering Office 365 Education free for educational purposes.

Get Office 365 Education

Adobe Creative Cloud

Many CFA students will take courses requiring Adobe Creative Cloud, a package of industry standard creativity tools used to design professional grade audio, video, graphic, and special effects projects. Students may need Adobe Creative Cloud as specific courses require it.

Students in the Department of Interactive Media and the Department of Art & Design will need Adobe Creative Cloud for the entire four years for all of their courses.

Please delay purchasing Adobe Creative Cloud until the fall semester begins.

Get Adobe Creative Cloud

Other Considerations

Shop around for educational pricing on hardware and software. Often there are significant discounts for educational purchases. Bradley University tech support endorses ThinkEDU.com for educational pricing. for educational pricing.

Individual courses may require additional software specific to the course.

We recommend adding a rider to your home/renter insurance policy to provide comprehensive coverage to your laptop. Insurance is available from most retailers but may not be cost effective for the coverage received.

We recommend you purchase an external hard drive to store large content and to back up your laptop.

Other Financial Considerations

With purchase receipts, the expense incurred to purchase required technology may be used to increase private or PLUS loan amounts. It is important to note that increases in cost of attendance for required technology will not result in an increase in scholarship, grant or work-study funding. Please contact the Bradley University Office of Financial Assistance for further information at bufinaid@bradley.edu.