The University Requirement
All undergraduate students are required to have a laptop computer. Students should confirm any specific laptop computer requirements with their college or department. In the absence of requirements for a specific program, a student's laptop must meet the following baseline requirements.
- Run an operating system approved by MSU (Windows or macOS), and be current with updates and security patches.
- Be able to connect to MSU's wireless network.
- Have a functioning webcam, either built-in or as a compatible peripheral.
- Be secured by endpoint antivirus software. Students can purchase a home version of ESET endpoint antivirus software through the On The Hub portal.
- Tablet devices (e.g. iPad), mobile phones, or netbook computers (e.g., Chromebooks) will not meet this university requirement.
- All students that utilize MSU resources such as network, campus labs, etc., are expected to abide by the MSU Acceptable Use Policy.
If you already own a computer that meets these requirements, you are welcome to bring it with you. However, we understand that many of you will need or want to purchase a new computer for your studies at MSU. While you are free to buy or lease a computer from any source you choose, the MSU Tech Store (https://techstore.msu.edu/) offers educationally discounted prices. The MSU Tech Store also has greatly reduced academic pricing (up to 75% off) on software from Adobe, Apple and Microsoft.
More information on the University Computer Requirement, including details on financial aid support is available here.
The College of Communication Arts & Sciences Recommendations
The following majors in the College of Communications Arts and Sciences need laptops that meet the general MSU University laptop requirement.
- Advertising Management
- Communication
- Communication Leadership and Strategy
- Communicative Sciences and Disorders
- Information Science
- Public Relations
The following majors in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences have specific computer hardware and software requirements beyond the university laptop requirement. Please read through the information for your major carefully before purchasing.
Advertising Creative Major
Recommended Laptop Computer Minimum Specifications
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Pro comes with: 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)
- 16GB unified memory
- 1TB SSD storage
- 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Recommended Software
- Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium (currently Adobe Creative Cloud)
- Microsoft Office, Apple iWorks, Open Office, Google Docs, or equivalent office suite (word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software) - available for free via MS 365.
- Apple iMovie or equivalent entry-level video editing software
Graphics Tablet
There are a variety of drawing tablets with surfaces you can draw directly onto the glass with a stylus, like the iPad, or tablets that plug externally into your laptop or computer like a mouse. Either of these are fine, and there are a variety of price options. Please do the research on your tablet before purchasing. Below are some we recommend:
- iPad with Apple Pencil
- XP-PEN Star03 12" Graphics Drawing Pen Tablet Drawing Tablet Battery-free Stylus Passive Pen Signature Board with 8 Hot Keys
- Huion H420 USB Graphics Drawing Tablet Board Kit
- Wacom Intuos Draw CTL490DW Digital Drawing and Graphics Tablet
- Huion H610 Pro Graphic Drawing Tablet with Carrying Bag and Glove
Portable Solid State Drive
- External, 2 TB SSD (recommended) or
- 1TB SSD (Required)
Games and Interactive Media Major
You will be making and playing lots of games while you study game development so a laptop designed for games is ideal. The two most important factors are a dedicated graphics card with at least 4GB of VRAM (shared RAM is not the same thing) and is Windows based. VRAM is essential for running intensive games and development tools, and most of the software we will use will work better on Windows than Linux or Mac. Having a laptop not suited to making games will make your courses much more difficult and cause you to rely on lab computers to complete assignments. Recommended brans include Asus, Lenovo, HP, and Dell.
Example 16" Laptop
Example 14" Laptop
Example Budget Laptop
Recommended Specs:
- Processor with Ryzen 7 or Intel i7 (Ryzen is preferred)
- 16GB of system RAM minimum
- Dedicated graphics card such as Nvidia 4060 or 4070 with at least 4GB of VRAM (more is better, Nvidia or AMD is preferred)
- 512GB of storage minimum
Software
We will make use of lots of tools while making games, fortunately most of them are either open source, free to students, or free to developers making $100,000. Some classes may require Adobe Creative Suite which can be purchased per semester at the MSU Tech Store.
Drawing Tablet
Many classes will require some kind of drawing tablet which gives you finer mouse control and pressure sensitivity; this is a PC peripheral as opposed to a dedicated tablet like an iPad, we also do not recommend relying on built in stylus support that is available on some Windows and Surface PCs. This will be especially relevant in art and graphics related classes. There are many brands available including Wacom, Huion, Xp-Pen, Xencell, etc. Our labs have the Wacom drivers installed and so we usually recommend the smallest, cheapest Wacom tablet (check for used ones; they tend to have a long product life).
Journalism and Digital Storytelling Majors
Recommended Laptop Computer Minimum Specifications
Students planning coursework in the following Journalism and Digital Storytelling focus areas require a laptop with greater computing power and memory than required by the University Computer Requirement.
- Animation
- Audio Storytelling
- Broadcast Journalism
- Documentary Production
- Filmmaking
- Information Graphics
- Media Photography/Photojournalism
- Media Design
- Multicam Production
For these students, the School of Journalism recommends a laptop with the following minimum specifications
- MacBook Pro (M1 Pro chip or greater
- 16GB memory
- 1TB SSD storage
- 16-inch display
Recommended Software
Some courses may require to purchase specific software titles (similar to how some classes require specific textbooks or other equipment). For example, Adobe Creative Cloud is commonly used in Digital Storytelling and Journalism courses. The MSU Tech Store (https://techstore.msu.edu/) may offer a semester-long Creative Cloud license for students who choose not to buy an annual license from Adobe. Microsoft Office (which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is available free to students as part of Spartan365.
External Hard Drive
An external hard drive is required for students who do audio, image, film or video editing (including students in the Digital Storytelling major, Broadcast Journalism minor or concentration, and Media Photography minor or Photojournalism concentration.
- External 2TB SSD (recommended) or
- 1 TB SSD (required)
*** Note that many creative courses and instructors in ComArtSci use the Apple Macintosh platform. If you purchase a Windows laptop, you are responsible for completing the assignments according to the class requirements. You may need to go to the ComArtSci Mac labs during available open hours to complete some of your required assignments.