School of Media and Communication
Computer Recommendations
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USM School of Media and Communication Computer Recommendations
All incoming students are not required to purchase a personal laptop computer and software, but it is highly recommended. Each concentration in the department provides specific guidelines for hardware and software. The School of Media and Communication currently provides a computer lab with the state-of-the-art equipment and the latest software. You may not be able to complete all your assignments during class hours if you rely solely on school equipment and software. The computer lab is available for after hours and is provided to the student.
Additional fees associated with class materials and technology are associated with certain classes in the Department and are automatically assessed to the students upon enrollment in those courses.
The recommended computer and software are listed below and should have the minimum hardware and software to meet recommendation requirements. This is information can be found on the School of Media and Communication web site.
Before purchasing a laptop, be sure to check the system requirements listed below. The school recommends purchasing an Apple laptop, but students can also purchase a Windows laptop, if they prefer. With choosing a laptop, please consider purchasing a support warranty of a minimum of three years, if applicable.
Financial aid that includes this recommendation may be available by contacting the USM Financial Aid Office.
The Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) software package is available by subscription only and should be purchase by student. Subscriptions are based on yearly terms with educational pricing and subscriptions allow access to the entire suite of applications. Students are strongly encouraged to prioritize scheduling of classes to take advantage of their own subscription terms. Adobe subscription plans can be found at https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html. Adobe Creative Cloud can be found on classroom and laboratory computers in College Hall.
Microsoft Office 365 is available through the University of Southern Mississippi I-Tech. Information about this can be found at https://www.usm.edu/itech/microsoft-office-365.php. Microsoft Ofice365 can be found on all classroom and laboratory computers in College Hall.
Avid ProTools software package is available on computer labs. For information and pricing to purchase for personal laptop, can be found at https://www.avid.com/pro-tools. Avid ProTools can be found in classrooms and laboratory computers in rooms 205, 305, 306 and 308 in College Hall.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND EXTERNAL DEVICES
APPLE Option 1 (Recommended for most COM and MCJ students)
MacBook Pro 13″ (Apple M1 Chip)
- Price Ranges from $1299 – 2099(*Upper end includes all upgrades to processor, memory and storage)
- Up to 16GB memory
- Up to 2TB storage
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-13/
APPLE Option 2 (Higher-End; Highly recommended for students interested in working more with video editing, motion animation and/or photography):
MacBook Pro 16″ (Appl M1 Chip)
- Prices Ranges from $2499 and up
- Up to 32-64GB memory
- Up to 8TB storage
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-16/
WINDOWS (There are many manufactures of Windows based laptops. Therefore, please consider using the following specifications in choosing your selection) Recommended for most COM, MEA and MCJ students.
- 9th Generation i7 processor or better.
- Screen resolution of 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz – 4K capable.
- A dedicated graphics card like AMD or NVidia.
- A minimum of 16GB DDR4-2666MHz memory.
- And finally, a minimum of 1 TB SSD storage.
- Ex. Chrome, Dell, Asus, Sony, Acer, Lenovo and more
EXTERNAL SOLID STATE HARD DRIVES:
Required for MCJ and MEA. Recommended for COM.
*Required for all MCJ students.
LaCie 1TB Rugged Mini USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
- 1TB Storage Capacity
- USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 Interface
- Up to 130 MB/s Data Transfer Speed
- Bus Powered
*Required for all MEA students.
LaCie 2TB Rugged Mini USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C External SSD
- 2TB Storage Capacity
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Interface
- Up to 1050 MB/s Data Transfer Speed
- Bus Powered
And
SanDisk 500GB Extreme Portable SSD V2
- 500GB Total Storage Capacity
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
- Up to 1050 MB/s Read Speed
- Up to 1000 MB/s Write Speed
MEMORY CARDS:
*Required for all MEA and MCJ students. Recommended for COM.
SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Memory Card
- 128GB Storage Capacity
- UHS-II / V90 / U3 / Class 10
- Maximum Read Speed: 300 MB/s
- Maximum Write Speed: 260 MB/s
Media Entertainment and Arts: (Highly Recommended)
Currently the MEA program does not require a laptop requirement. Most courses use the classroom and lab to complete course projects and/or assignments. Microsoft Office Suite/Adobe Creative Cloud/ProTools is provided to each student in the assigned classrooms and labs. No laptop is required but is highly recommended to purchase your own.
PR / Advertising / Journalism: (Laptop Required)
For some courses we recommend a laptop to be brought to class to complete course projects and/or assignments. No software outside of the Microsoft Office Suite/Adobe Creative Cloud is required to complete course projects and/or assignments. No laptop is required but is highly recommended to purchase your own.
Communication Studies:
No specific courses require a laptop to be brought to class to complete course projects and/or assignments. No software outside of the Microsoft Office Suite is required.