WELCOME, FIRST-YEAR DESIGN STUDENTS
Below are the required tech gadgets and apps all incoming Design students need to acquire before classes begin Fall semester.
CAMERA / Several courses require taking photographs—make sure you have a smartphone with a fully functioning camera. Students who have a mirrorless or DSLR camera may use it as well.
LAPTOP / Bring a laptop to the very first, and every, class. Some educational discounts are available at the UIC Bookstore, also located in Student Center East, 750 W Halsted Street. Some sort of daily backup system is highly recommended—consider purchasing a 5GB portable hard drive and/or using your free UIC Box for unlimited cloud storage.
APPLE / MacBook Pro
Operating system: MacOS 12 Monterey or newer
RAM: 8GB of RAM (16GB recommended for students pursuing BDes ID or BS CS+Des)
Hard disk: 20GB of available space
Monitor resolution: 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling
GPU: Intel-based Mac should have a minimum of 1024MB of VRAM (2GB recommended)
Metal-capable Intel
AMD-capable (recommended for students pursuing BS CS+Des)
Internet connectivity: Yes
WINDOWS
Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit (version 21H2) or later
SSE4.2 instruction set (recommended for students pursuing BS CS+Des)
RAM: 8GB of RAM (16GB recommended for students pursuing BDes ID or BS CS+Des)
Hard disk: 20GB of available space
Monitor resolution: 1280 x 800 display at 100% UI scaling
GPU: OpenGL 4.1 capable video card is recommended
At least 4GB Video card memory is recommended
DX10, DX11, and DX12-capable (recommended for students pursuing BS CS+Des)
Internet connectivity: Yes
SOFTWARE / An annual Adobe Creative Cloud student subscription is required—the UIC Webstore offers a substantial discount over purchasing directly from Adobe. Please note students experiencing financial hardship may request a discounted license. Before classes begin Fall semester, install Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat Pro, making sure to auto-update these apps so you’re always working with the latest versions.
As part of UIC’s commitment to student success, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning, an on-demand library of instructional videos. Acquiring technical skills through this type of self-led learning allows class time to focus on developing creative skills, just sign in with your campus email address and password. It is highly recommended that all First-year Design students complete these three essential training courses: Illustrator 2024, InDesign 2024, and Photoshop 2024.
Incoming students are required to download the Acadly smartphone app and create an account before the first day of the semester.
WI-FI + EMAIL / Set up wi-fi access and your UIC gmail account for access to your course Blackboards before classes begin: UIC wi-fi and UIC email.
BLACKBOARD / Get acquainted with this app, used in all First-year Design courses, before classes begin: UIC Blackboard intro and UIC Blackboard access.
BOX / All current Design students have access to a free Box account for unlimited cloud storage: UIC Box.
Information technology resources: UIC IT and 2024-25 Tech Guide.