Although I am not quite sure about the thunderbolt port, I do not see why you couldn't use the screen with the laptop. The screen and the laptop also features the HDMI ports so they should connect up just fine.

I was also in the Arts major, Visual Communication Arts to be specific. I Personally would NOT recommend this laptop for her major. While initially it may be a good idea for her study and would actually be up until she is presented with 3D rendering in her curriculum. While this laptop is proficient with games, it will not fare well in the rendering application, atleast not by my standards. With programs such as Rhino, often used for rendering environments, especially if her university shares parts of her curriculum with the Architect side, you will be forced to leave the laptop on, rendering for an extended period of time, in which it may heat up, costing her time. With the price point of these laptops, you will do her more justice if you purchase her a desktop to go along with the screen instead. Afterall, you WILL get MORE for what you pay for. You may want to do a short read on Laptop Vs Desktop GPU difference, which will provide you with an idea of the difference in performance despite the deceivingly similar parts label. If portability is an issue, I would recommend buying her a laptop, whichever she likes, then provide her with a proper desktop to accompany her curriculum.