Department of Digital Art and Design Laptop Policy

The Department of Digital Art and Design requires that all students purchase their own laptop which fulfills the following requirements: 

• Is powerful enough to run course required software 
• Has enough storage space to accommodate large projects files and coursework 
• Has options for upgrades/expansion for adapting to emerging technologies 

The following laptop options are suggested by the department, can be purchased at an educational discount, and will be supported by New York Tech’s IT team. 

You may be eligible to use your financial aid to purchase a computer. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid. 

Hardware Requirements

Students are encouraged to purchase a laptop that best fits their budget and performance needs.

Minimum Required Computer Specification

Good for Overall Use and Reliability.

Recommended Computer Specification

Excellent Processing Power and Speed.

High-End Computer Specification 

Equipped for Emerging Technologies and Machine Learning. 

Software Requirements

Students will be required to download and install course required applications on their machines, along with purchasing any software that is necessary for their specific course or major. 

Introduced below is a generalized list of applications that are used by the department, please contact your advisor and professors to confirm the need for any additional software. 

(Note that OneDrive is available for all New York Tech students as an online storage and file backup.) 

Additional free software can be found on our Software Downloads page.

Important Notes 

Students must consult with their advisors and instructors for what applications are used in their courses. Standard software for the first academic year is the Adobe CC (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects) and Maya, but students should reach out to their professor for any clarification. 

Students who wish to purchase a Macbook Pro should be advised of the following issues related to owning and operating a Mac: 

• The New York Tech Program Dell laptop discounted price and IT Support plan will not apply to Mac or other alternative laptop models purchased 
• Purchasing a Mac laptop will not permit upgrades to any of the components in the future. 

Common Concerns 

We understand that the cost of department recommended hardware seems high when compared to off-the-shelf models, but the specified machines are equipped to last the duration of a student’s education, and to guarantee the right performances to fulfill the assignments required in their courses. Reasons to purchase a well-equipped machine from the beginning include: 

• Some laptops do not allow aftermarket upgrades of memory, so it is necessary to purchase a computer which will perform well throughout the program, as software updates require more memory with updates and newer versions. 
• Some laptop manufacturers split storage into a small initial partition, and a larger secondary partition. A laptop must have a 512GB initial partition (the C: drive on Windows) to meet the computer requirements. 
• Laptops do not allow the addition of new video hardware. In order to run all of the required 3D modeling software programs, it is important to have a computer that has a video card that meets the minimum specifications. 

If you have additional questions, please direct them to the point of contacts listed above for each campus location. 

New York Tech IT Computer Support 

For any questions and technical support, please reach out to Information Technology Services (ITS).

Department Contact 

Jake Mangan 

Tech Support Specialist
jmangan@nyit.edu

New York City campus: 16 W. 61st St., room 911
Long Island campus: Midge Karr Fine Arts Design Center, room 100