The New York Film Academy Associate of Fine Art degree programs are stand-alone degree programs intended to prepare students for a career in the industry. They are designed to give students the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on the subject in a studio based curriculum without standard distribution requirements. These AFA programs are not intended to be components of longer bachelor's degree programs nor are they structured for transfer.

The educational objectives in the Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) in Filmmaking Degree program are to teach students the art and craft of filmmaking and to instruct students through a strict regimen consisting of lectures, seminars, and total immersion workshops to excel in the creative art of filmmaking.