Studio Art Computer Specifications

SDSU Studio Art Computer and Media Policy

BFA students within the Studio Art area(s) are required to have both some type of computer device (Laptop or Desktop) and a camera to document their work throughout their academic career at SDSU. This hardware is an essential resource for the art student and is as important of a tool for the artist as the pencil or brush.

Digital computing connects the student to the world of art and will be used in their education and professional practices throughout their studies at SDSU. The computer and camera serve as a resource to the Studio Art student as a way to create, document, edit and store the artist's work for digital portfolios, documents, storage, correspondence and application to career opportunities.

Access to online content and the ability to view, store, create and edit digital content are crucial for the Studio Art student and supplement their growth. Students will need to store and access “Cloud” accounts, which may or may not come with devices if ports for external devices such as portable or flash drives are not available.

As students progress through the program, their resulting use and need of computer hardware, devices and software may become more complex and may require upgrades or additional software/hardware on their computing devices.

Digital media requirements for students beginning in their sophomore fall semester are:

Hardware: Mac or PC: Desktop or laptop

Students should have a display of 13 inches or more.

To facilitate student competency in top-rated software products demanded by industry institutions, SDSU requires students to purchase current versions of software packages from Adobe. It is imperative that students have the required software packages purchased and properly installed PRIOR to their first day of studio in their second year of the program (fall of the second year).

Camera Documentation:

Software (Student Licenses)

Students must have basic document software such as word (which will be available to them free as SDSU students). They also must have some form of “industry” standard photo documentation software such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom to edit photograph documentation. Other applications may be found for free online for cropping, orientation, editing issues for documentation and maintaining a digital portfolio of their work. Students may be asked to purchase additional software in conjunction with representation electives. Any additional software purchases will be disclosed prior to students’ class registration.

Important Notes

Questions or needing clarification should contact Instructor Peter Reichardt. Questions about software installation processes should be directed to the SDSU Support Desk | Phone: 605-688-6776