Question about cinematography education - specific

[Liam Howlett]

so I was just looking at Matthew Libatique's IMDb page and, yeah - obviously IMDb isn't the most reliable source for information as it is user submitted but something caught my attention that inspired me to ask this question.

 

It says he has majored in Sociology & Communications, and then it says he's got an MFA in Cinematography from AFI.

 

If you already have a major in something else, a Bachelor's lets say in Sociology/Communications - how do you then jump to an MFA in Cinematography. IMDb either does not have his full education info (my guess) or something else.

 

Does that Communications degree (I mean, you do have some video production classes, don't you?) transfer somehow and it allows you to study a Masters in Cinematography? or is there no such thing and somewhere along the line Libatique MUST have had a bachelor's in Film?

 

Somebody knowledgeable or qualified please answer this

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Your BA/BS and your masters don't have to match at most schools. Normally they do, and generally if they don't you play catch up with some under-grad classes. I am sure It wouldn't be easy to jump into AFI, but whose to say he wasn't practicing with stills and film outside of school? Or, that he is just naturally gifted enough to have jumped in and picked up the technical things as he needed.

[David Mullen ASC]

I have a BA in English Lit from UCLA and an MFA in Filmmaking from CalArts. Different schools have different requirements but many do not require that your bachelor's degree match your intended master's degree.

[Liam Howlett]

Aha!

 

Thank you Adrian and David, that really clears it up for me!