College-Specific IT Needs
All new graduate and undergraduate students entering UNC Charlotte are required to have a personal laptop computer to support their college experience. In addition, some colleges have additional requirements or recommendations:
| College | Additional Requirements / Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Belk College of Business | All students are required to have a laptop with the Windows operating system. |
| Cato College of Education | No additional requirements. |
| College of Arts + Architecture: School of Architecture | If you are an Architecture major, the NinerReady computer is not suitable to meet your needs. Faculty recommends: Processor Dedicated processor comparable to 13th Gen Intel CoreTM i7-13700H or (for higher performance) to 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H Graphics Graphics card comparable to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3500 or (for higher performance) to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4700. Students may also consider a Macbook Pro with the M2 Pro or (for higher performance) the M3 Pro or M4 Pro chip Memory Macbook users in advanced studios (third-year studios and above for undergraduate students and all graduate-level studios) May require the use of cloud-based processing for AI operations. All computers (PC and Mac) should meet the following specifications: 32 GB RAM Hard Drive 1 TB SSD hard drive Add-ons 15″ minimum screen size (which means the 16″ Macbook Pro, not the 14″) External mouse (two-button + wheel) Software Students are also expected to subscribe to the full suite of the Adobe Creative Cloud software, and to install Version 8 of Rhino 3D Modeling software (which may be installed initially as a 90-day free trial before purchasing a one-time student license). |
| College of Arts + Architecture: Digital Arts Majors | If you are a Digital Media, Graphic Design, or Illustration student, the NinerReady computer may not meet your needs. Faculty recommends: Software The latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes video editing. Laptop Specifications Mac Since our labs are equipped with iMacs, faculty recommend a MacBook with a M1 Processor (or newer), at least 32 GB of memory (RAM), and 1 TB SSD internal storage. Windows Should you choose a Windows laptop, faculty recommend an Intel Core 8 Processor or newer, at least 32 GB of memory (RAM), 6 – 8 GB of video memory (GPU), 1 TB SSD internal storage. Add-Ons External mouse External 2 – 4 TB SSD drive Drawing tablet |
| College of Computing and Informatics | No additional requirements |
| College of Health and Human Services | No additional requirements |
| College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences | No additional requirements. |
| College of Science | No additional requirements. |
| William States Lee College of Engineering | Operating System Latest Windows 64 bit (OS) Note: Chromebooks, iPads, other tablets, and mobile devices DO NOT meet the laptop requirement Processor Intel Core i7 Processor or higher or AMD Ryzen (processor) Memory 16 GB RAM or higher Hard Drive 512 GB or higher SSD (hard drive/storage) Graphics Discrete graphics with 2GB RAM or higher Add-Ons 14 in or higher (screen size) USB-A or USB-C port(s) + adapter Camera, Microphone, Speakers (included with most laptops) HDMI port(s) 3-button mouse (for Mechanical Engineering CAD Apps) Software Numerous engineering applications are available for engineering students to install on their laptops, some at no cost and some at minimal cost. Download FREE Microsoft Office, antivirus software and more at software.charlotte.edu. Students can also access engineering apps using Apporto. Preconfigured systems with our specifications can be purchased via our NinerTech Store. These hardware recommendations are required for Engineering students and also listed on the William States Lee College of Engineering page. |
Apple’s new Mac Books (with an M series chip) require a Virtual machine (ARM only). The latest version of Parallels Desktop may meet this need and can be purchased from https://software.charlotte.edu.