Students seeking degrees from the School of Journalism and New Media will be required to complete class exercises and produce content using personal laptops. While the school currently provides some computer labs, you may not be able to complete all of your assignments if you rely solely on school equipment and software.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism are required to purchase a laptop and the appropriate software, prior to enrolling in JOUR 271.
Students seeing a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication are required to purchase a laptop prior to enrolling in JOUR 273.
Before purchasing a laptop, be sure to check the system requirements listed below.
System Requirements
PC laptops come in many configurations. When purchasing, customers will have to make sure the PC selected meets the school’s specifications or the required software may not work properly.
Mac computers do not have as many options. Basically, any current standard configured Macbook Pro with OS X v 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or later will support the software programs students will use.
Windows
• Intel® Core™2 Duo or AMD Phenom® II processor; 64-bit support required
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 with Service Pack 1 (64 bit)
• 4GB of RAM (8GB recommended)
• 4GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)
• Additional disk space required for preview files and other working files (10GB recommended)
• 1280×900 display
• OpenGL 2.0–capable system
• 7200 RPM hard drive
• Sound card compatible with ASIO protocol or Microsoft Windows Driver Model
• DVD-ROM drive compatible with dual-layer DVDs (DVD+-R burner for burning DVDs; )
• QuickTime 7.6.6 software required for QuickTime features
• This software will not operate without activation. Broadband Internet connection and registration are required for software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.* Phone activation is not available.
Mac OS
• Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
• Mac OS X v10.6.8 or v10.7
• 4GB of RAM (8GB recommended)
• 4GB 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)
• Additional disk space required for preview files and other working files (10GB recommended)
• 1280×900 display
• 7200 RPM hard drive (multiple fast disk drives, preferably RAID 0 configured, recommended)
• OpenGL 2.0–capable system
• DVD-ROM drive compatible with dual-layer DVDs (SuperDrive for burning DVDs;
• QuickTime 7.6.6 software required for QuickTime features
• This software will not operate without activation. Broadband Internet connection and registration are required for software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.* Phone activation is not available.
Software Requirements and Recommendations
The following software programs will be necessary to complete assignments in Meek School courses. All students must purchase word processing software, if it is not already included with the laptop purchased. If a student purchases the Adobe CS6 Master Collection, the degree-specific software indicated below is already included.
If students choose not to purchase the Master Collection, they will buy software collections specific to the degree being sought. When choosing the degree-specific option, students should be aware that additional software purchases or rentals may be necessary, depending on course selection.
All prices listed below are approximate and reflect the education discount.
Word processing software (Required)
(Microsoft Office Recommended)
Adobe CS6 Master Collection $799
(Recommended – includes all software programs listed below.)
Students seeking a B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communication
(Required)
Adobe CS6 Design Premium $449
Includes: Photoshop CS6 Extended, Illustrator CS6,
InDesign CS6, Dreamweaver CS6, Flash Pro CS6,
Fireworks CS6, Acrobat X Pro, Bridge CS6, Media Encoder CS6
Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (Required)
Adobe CS6 Production Premium $449
Includes: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop extended
Audition, Speedgrade, Prelude, Illustrator, Encore
Flash Professional, Media Encoder, Bridge
Software Rental
If students choose not to purchase the required software, it is possible to rent the software directly from Adobe. Students will be responsible for completing the rental process in a timely fashion to have the software available when needed for course work.
Creative Cloud (requires one year commitment) $29/month
(educational discount)
(includes everything)
Creative Cloud (with no yearly commitment) $79/month
(No educational discount offered without yearly commitment)
