Hardware Purchase Links
www.apple.com/edu/otis
www.cdwg.com/otiscollege

Technical Questions?
email: helpdesk@otis.edu

Otis requires that incoming students own a laptop that meets the minimum system specifications for software used in the Foundation year. This requirement will help ensure that all students have access to the college’s digital resources at home or on campus. As collaboration is a foundation of our curriculum, owning a laptop will promote communication, investigation, and making, both within and outside of the classroom.

If a student has an intended major, please refer to the major department minimum specs below for guidance. We have selected these configurations to enable a broad range and a long useful life for your computer, so as long as your laptop meets the minimum specifications, you are welcome to customize your machine to suit your individual needs. Otis partners with hardware providers for additional discounts for students purchasing a new laptop at the links below. If you already own a laptop with comparable specs to the Otis minimum requirement, you may opt to use that instead. We strongly recommend a computer fewer than 5 years old.

Campus Purchase Links

https://www.apple.com/edu/otis

www.cdwg.com/otiscollege

Technical Questions?

helpdesk@otis.edu

Hardware Requirements

( Chose one of the following three )

Foundation ( Intel Mac )

  • Apple MacBook Pro
  • 13” Retina Display
  • Intel Core i5 processor
  • 256GB SSD storage
  • 16GB memory
  • 3 Year AppleCare+

Foundation ( M1 Mac )

  • MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro
  • 8-Core CPU , 14-Core GPU
  • 16GB Unified Memory
  • 512GB SSD Storage
  • 3 Year AppleCare+

Foundation ( PC )

  • Dell/HP 15-inch
  • Intel Core i5 processor
  • 256GB SSD storage
  • Graphics 4GB Video RAM
  • 3 Year Service

Minimum Specification by Major

Communication Arts

  • MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro
  • 8-Core CPU
  • 14-Core GPU
  • 16GB Unified Memory
  • 512GB SSD Storage
  • 3 Year AppleCare+

Digital Media (Mac)

  • MacBook Pro 16” M1 Pro
  • 10-Core CPU
  • 16-Core GPU
  • 16GB Unified Memory
  • 512GB SSD Storage
  • 3 Year AppleCare+

Digital Media (Windows)

  • Dell/HP/Lenovo
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Intel Core i7 processor
  • 15” Display
  • 32GB memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Graphics 4GB Video RAM
  • 3 Year Service

Environmental Design

  • Dell/HP/Lenovo
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Intel Core i7 processor
  • 15” Display
  • 32GB memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Graphics 4GB Video RAM
  • 3 Year Service

Fashion Design

  • MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro
  • 8-Core CPU
  • 14-Core GPU
  • 16GB Unified Memory
  • 512GB SSD Storage
  • 3 Year AppleCare+

Fine Arts

  • MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro
  • 8-Core CPU
  • 14-Core GPU
  • 16GB Unified Memory
  • 512GB SSD Storage
  • 3 Year AppleCare+

Product Design

  • Dell/HP/Lenovo
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Intel Core i7 processor
  • 15” Display
  • 32GB memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Graphics 4GB Video RAM
  • 3 Year Service

Toy Design

  • Dell/HP/Lenovo
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Intel Core i7 processor
  • 15” Display
  • 32GB memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Graphics 4GB Video RAM
  • 3 Year Service

Discounted and Free Software

Otis students, staff and faculty are eligible to access free and trial versions of popular software titles from the following companies. Please note, software requests for instruction are coordinated through the department chairs, please contact them for more information.

Adobe Creative Cloud - ( Free for BFA/MFA students )

If you're a new student, your access will begin a week before the semester begins.

If you're graduating,  you'll have access to your Otis academic license until two weeks after the semester ends. Be sure to export and save your projects to your own personal locations if they are stored in the Adobe Cloud.  https://creativecloud.adobe.com/cc/?locale=en

If you are enrolled in classes for the Fall or Spring semesters, your access will be continued.

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Acrobat DC
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe XD
  • Adobe Lightroom
  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe Bridge
  • Adobe Lightroom Classic
  • Adobe Dimension
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Adobe Animate
  • Adobe Character Animator
  • Adobe Audition
  • Adobe Media Encoder
  • Adobe InCopy
  • Adobe Prelude

Rhino 7 for Mac & Windows  - ( $138.00 )
https://novedge.com/products/rhino-7-for-mac-and-windows-educational-license

Autodesk - (Free educational license)
https://www.autodesk.com/education/students

More information on the Adobe series of products can be found here:
https://www.autodesk.com/education/edu-software/overview

Cinema 4D, Red Giant, Redshift, Universe, and ZBrush - (Heavily Discounted educational license) 
https://www.maxon.net/en/educational-licenses

Houdini -
https://www.sidefx.com/education/education-programs/students/#free_software

KeyShot - (Educational Version) 
https://portal.keyshot.com/taxons/education

Microsoft 0ffice 365 -  ( Free for BFA/MFA students )

  1. Go to www.office.com and if you are not already signed in, select Sign in ( Sign in with your otis email )
  2. From the Microsoft 365 home page select Install Office
  3. Select Office 365 apps to begin the download
  4. Follow the  on screen instruction to complete the installation

Microsoft Teams - 
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/download-app

Quixel Suite -
https://quixel.com/pricing

SolidWorks – 40 Licenses available only for students and faculty

License must be requested to support@otis.edu

ToonBoom StoryBoard & Harmony - 20 Licenses available only for students and faculty

License must be requested to support@otis.edu

Unity - 
https://store.unity.com/academic/unity-student

V-Ray - 
https://store.chaosgroup.com/educational/product/1-year-term-vray-edu-collection

Zoom - 
https://otis.zoom.us/download

 

Laptop FAQs