The College of Creative Arts and Media has special recommendations for hardware and software that are applicable to all of its incoming students. Some majors, noted below, will require a high-performance hardware system and additional software.
Unless otherwise noted, students may use a Mac-based or PC (Windows) laptop, as long as they have the minimum specifications noted below. Chromebooks are NOT acceptable for classwork, as they do not meet the specifications listed. Visit the WVU IT Services website for general guidelines and information about discounts and software available to students on behalf of the university.
All School of Art and Design students, except for Art History and Museum Professions and Art Therapy majors, are required to use either the basic or high-performance MacBook Pro system requirements listed below. Art History and Museum Professions majors may select the basic MacBook system or choose to use the basic Windows platform.
Interior Architecture and Fashion Design and Merchandising majors should consult these
specialized computer requirements.
Basic Systems
Mac Hardware
MacBook Air or MacBook Pro installed with current macOS
- Apple M2 or M3 Processor
- 8GB unified memory (minimum)
- 256GB SSD storage (minimum)
Windows Hardware
- Windows operating system 10 or newer
- 8 GB RAM
- Intel Core i5, AMD Ryzen 5 processors
High Performance Systems
Digital Art and Animation and Graphic Design majors are required to use Mac hardware with the following specs. Game Design and Interactive Media majors, Theatre Design and Technology majors, Music Composition majors, and those taking electronic media or music technology courses may choose between Mac or Windows hardware.
Mac Hardware
MacBook Pro installed with current macOS
- M3 Processor
- 16GB unified memory (minimum)
- 512GB SSD storage (minimum)
Windows Hardware
- Windows operating system 10 64-bit (or newer)
- 32GB unified memory (minimum)
- 14th gen Intel Core (i9 or better) or AMD Ryzen (7 or better)
- 512 GB of hard drive space (minimum)
- Graphics cards with 8GB RAM
Software
All Students
- Microsoft Office and Sophos anti virus software are free for WVU students. Visit it.wvu.edu/it-services/students for download and installation instructions.
- Cloud Storage: Google Drive for Desktop - Download via https://www.google.com/drive/download/. Use your WVU Mix account (FREE to WVU students)
Adobe Creative Suite
All majors in the School of Art & Design, many classes in the Reed School of Media and Communications, and Theatre Design and Technology :
- Adobe Creative Cloud (WVU student subscription available for a discounted cost)
Theatre Design and Technology students:
- First Year:
- Microsoft Office (for all years)
- Quicktime
- Sophomore through Senior year:
- Sketchup
- Vectorworks/AutoCAD (Student version available for free. Confirm with CAD instructor for version needed.)
Graphic Design Sophomores - Seniors:
- Adobe Font Folio 11 (Education Essentials Student and Teacher Edition)
School of Music
- Fonts that include music symbols, such as Maestro Times, Opus, or CSTwo/CSThree.
- Music Notation (MuseScore, Notion, Finale, Sibelius, or Dorico acceptable)
- NOTE: Music Notation program required for all composition students.
- A recording program with the ability to adequately record lessons, practice sessions, student teaching practice sessions, etc.
For use in Music Recording courses:
- ProTools (purchase or monthly subscription)
Additional Components:
A full-spectrum pair of headphones (on-ear or over-the-ear) is required for School of Music students, due to the nature of course assignments.