Central Maine Community College in Auburn does not offer a baking or pastry certificate or degree. Baking is taught as coursework inside its Culinary Arts program. The amount is larger than at most culinary programs: the 2026–27 catalog lists seven 2-credit baking and pastry labs in the associate degree, 14 credits in all, and four of those labs (8 credits) in the one-year certificate.
The college awards two culinary credentials, a Culinary Arts Associate in Applied Science of 64–66 credits and a Culinary Arts Certificate of 34–35 credits. This page is for students who want substantial bake shop time alongside savory cooking and are comfortable with a credential titled Culinary Arts.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Central Maine Community College |
| Location | 1250 Turner Street, Auburn, Maine |
| Credentials | Culinary Arts, AAS; Culinary Arts, Certificate |
| Baking credential | None; baking is coursework within Culinary Arts |
| Credits | 64–66 (AAS); 34–35 (certificate) |
| Catalog sequence | Four semesters (AAS); two semesters (certificate) |
| Baking coursework | Seven 2-credit labs in the AAS; four in the certificate |
| Lab format | Each 2-credit lab runs 4 weeks at 14 hours per week |
Culinary Program Options
Both credentials are described on the Culinary Arts program page and in the 2026–27 academic catalog. The certificate is the first year of the degree, so its courses appear again in semesters one and two of the AAS plan.
Culinary Arts, AAS
The degree requires 64–66 credits over four semesters. The range depends on which English and mathematics or science courses a student takes. The final semester includes a 4-credit externship at a workplace arranged before registration. General education adds writing, communication, mathematics, and humanities or social science electives.
Culinary Arts, Certificate
The certificate is 34–35 credits in two semesters. It contains the first-year kitchen labs, sanitation, nutrition, and four general education courses. The catalog states that certificate graduates can transfer all earned credits into the Culinary Arts AAS or the Restaurant Management AAS, provided they earned a C or better in College Writing.
Baking Courses in the Curriculum
The catalog lists these baking and pastry courses. Each is 2 credits, and each builds on the one before it through prerequisites:
- CUA 105 Fundamentals of Baking (2 credits): measuring and scaling, lean and rich yeast breads, quick breads, cookies, and bars. In both credentials.
- CUA 115 Baking Principles and Presentation (2 credits): pies and tarts, cheesecakes, cream puffs or eclairs, and plated dessert presentation. In both credentials.
- CUA 154 Introduction to Cakes and Recipe Alterations (2 credits): cake methods, icings, simple decoration, and altering recipes for specialty diets. In both credentials.
- CUA 156 Pastries and Contemporary Desserts (2 credits): laminated doughs, croissants, tarte tatin, cream horns, and other pastries. In both credentials.
- CUA 214 Petit Fours and Artisan Breads (2 credits): petit fours, macarons, jams and preserves, sourdough starter, and preferments. AAS only.
- CUA 252 Advanced Cakes (2 credits): advanced decorating, rolled fondant, mousse cakes, and traditional world cakes. AAS only.
- CUA 256 Chocolates Confections (2 credits): tempering, bonbons, fudge, cordials, hard candies, and frozen desserts. AAS only.
The remaining culinary coursework is savory and operational: classical French technique, a la carte cooking and service, specialty diets, butchery, international cuisine, modern cooking methods, sanitation, nutrition, and purchasing. The catalog describes each 2-credit kitchen course as a four-week block of 2 lecture hours and 12 lab hours per week.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The 2026–27 catalog sets tuition at $96 per credit hour for Maine residents, $144 for New England Regional Student Program participants, and $192 for non-residents. Mandatory fees are $42 per credit hour, and every student pays a $16 annual accident insurance charge. The estimates below use the minimum credit totals and the catalog sequence of two academic years for the AAS and one for the certificate.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated New England regional tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culinary Arts, AAS (4 semesters) | 64–66 | $8,864 | $11,936 | $15,008 |
| Culinary Arts, Certificate (2 semesters) | 34–35 | $4,708 | $6,340 | $7,972 |
Each additional credit adds $138 at the Maine resident rate, so a 66-credit AAS plan comes to about $9,140. The table covers tuition, the per-credit mandatory fees, and accident insurance only.
Culinary Arts students also pay a $100 consumables fee each semester, which is $400 over the AAS and $200 over the certificate and is not in the table. The catalog says textbooks and course supplies or tools average about $900–$1,800 per year across programs, and that uniform and tool requirements are available from department chairs. The regional rate applies only to qualified students from other New England states. The cost of attendance page has more detail.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Central Maine uses rolling admissions for most programs. Applicants submit an application, an official high school transcript or equivalency scores, and transcripts from any colleges attended. The catalog lists no additional high school prerequisite for Culinary Arts. The catalog says programs begin in the fall semester and that spring admission is possible for most programs, so ask how a spring start would work with the four-week kitchen blocks.
Students who want aid complete the FAFSA. The catalog describes Pell Grants, the State of Maine Grant, scholarships, loans, and campus employment, but it does not state aid eligibility credential by credential. Confirm with Student Financial Services that the certificate qualifies for the aid you plan to use.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Within Food Preparation and Sanitation, students may take the ServSafe exam, and the catalog notes that passing it meets Maine’s requirement for a Certified Food Protection Manager. The college lists assistant baker among certificate career outcomes and bakeries among the settings where degree graduates may work.
Neither the catalog nor the program page states American Culinary Federation accreditation for this program. The catalog does not name a bachelor’s transfer agreement for Culinary Arts either, so students with four-year plans should raise that with an advisor early.
Who This Program May Fit
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Train in both baking and savory cooking | The AAS pairs seven baking labs with kitchen, purchasing, and externship courses |
| Finish in one academic year | The certificate takes two semesters and includes four baking labs |
| Start short and keep going | All certificate credits can apply to the Culinary Arts or Restaurant Management AAS |
| Earn a baking-titled credential | This program does not provide one. See the Maine baking schools page and the online baking programs page for other options |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- What do the required uniform, knives, and tools cost, and where are they purchased?
- On which days and hours do the four-week kitchen blocks meet?
- Can I begin in spring, and how would that change the order of the baking labs?
- Who arranges the externship site, and can it be a bakery?
- Is the certificate eligible for federal and state grant aid?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Central Maine Community College before applying.