Advanced Baking and Pastry

The Advanced Baking and Pastry Associate of Science degree program prepares students for entry to midlevel career opportunities in bakeries, restaurants, catering, hotels, and other food service businesses. Students gain practical training in the use of commercial equipment and acquire the skills necessary to be successful in the field of baking such as production baking, candy making, specialty cakes, plated desserts, artisan breads, menu development, portion control, and cost control. The program combines management theory and practical application of skills and abilities preparing students to meet the needs of employers. Students are required to follow Culinary Department dress standards.

Students who complete this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate foundational and advanced baking techniques.
• Evaluate a variety of finished baking products based on visual appeal, consistency, taste, and proper preparation techniques.
• Demonstrate proficient safety and sanitation production practices as related to the food service industry.
• Demonstrate preparation for entry to midlevel employment in the food service industry in the specialized area of baking and pastry.

Based upon a survey taken in Spring 2024 (attached) we expect approximately 23 annual completers for this certificate.  These projections summed the students who responded as highly interested and mildly interested, then divided by two representing 80% of respondents indicating 4 plus semesters to complete the certificate.

The Advanced Baking and Pastry Associate of Science degree program prepares students for many entry to midlevel employment opportunities. Students will be provided with the essential skills of food safety and sanitation and both foundational and specialized baking and pastry competencies.  These competencies build upon the foundation skills taught in the Introduction to Baking and Pastry Certificate of Achievement, quick breads, cookies, yeast dough, pastry and pastry fillings, and cakes, adding artisan bread techniques, viennoiserie, specialty desserts, chocolate tempering and candies, advanced cake decorating techniques using fondant, gum paste, and modeling chocolate, pulled sugar, blown sugar, and poured sugar. Commercial production and presentation techniques will be emphasized to reach student career goals and to be competitive in the marketplace. This program prepares students for entry to midlevel careers in food service such as bakers, pastry cooks, food preparation workers, supervisors, or entrepreneurs specializing in baking and pastry to meet the needs of retail and wholesale baking and pastry establishments, including restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, and institutional settings.

All lab classes require one of the following as a corequisite to enrollment CUL 171 sanitation and safety or a ServSafe Certificate of completion.

 All lab classes in this program have a student material fee of $30 to cover the cost of the food ingredients of each class. This totals $300 for required core classes that students can expect to pay during the program.

The courses required in this program provide students with foundational and specialized skills to prepare for entry to midlevel employment.

*Course has a prerequisite, corequisite, limitation, or recommended preparation; see course description.

⁂ Students with valid California ServSafe Certification may have this core requirement waived.

Proposed Sequence: 

Year 1, Fall = __15____ units

Year 1, Spring = __15-16____ units

Year 1, Summer = ____0__ units

Year 2, Fall = __15___ units

Year 2, Spring = ___15-16___ units

TOTAL UNITS: __60-62___ units

The Advanced Baking and Pastry Associate of Science complements and builds on Saddleback College Culinary Arts existing and related programs (Introduction to Baking and Pastry, Catering, Introduction to Culinary, and Advanced Culinary) by adding a new area of specialization to the department offerings.  The Advanced Baking and Pastry Associate of Science can be completed as a stand-alone program for entry to midlevel employment. Students may also choose to continue classes to complete related programs which may increase career advancement opportunities in the foodservice industry.  The addition of the new certificate will not require any changes to be made to the current inventory of programs, nor will it replace existing programs.

Orange Coast College (21 miles from Saddleback College, 7 miles from ATEP) offers a Certificate of Specialization in Baking and Pastry that requires 13-14 units for completion and an Advanced Baking and Pastry Certificate of Achievement that requires 39-40 units for completion. OCC also offers the option of an Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry which requires students to fulfill the general education requirements in addition to the required 39-40 specialized Baking and Pastry units. 

Cerritos College (37 miles from SCC, 22 miles from ATEP) offers a similar Professional Baking Certificate of Achievement, 22 units, and Associates of Art that requires 22 units of specialized courses in addition to the general education requirements.

Cypress College (33 miles from SCC, 19 miles from ATEP) offers a 17-unit Baking Fundamentals Certificate and a 38-unit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate both of which can be combined with general education requirements to earn an associate in science degree.  

Based upon a survey taken in Spring 2024 (attached) we expect approximately 23 annual completers for this certificate.  These projections summed the students who responded as highly interested and mildly interested, then divided by two representing 80% of respondents indicating 4 plus semesters to complete the certificate.