Southern Maine Community College in South Portland does not offer a baking or pastry certificate or degree. Baking is taught as coursework inside its Culinary Arts associate degree. The 2026–27 catalog requires three baking and pastry courses totaling 8 credits: a 4-credit Basic Baking lab in the first year and paired 2-credit Advanced Baking and Advanced Pastry Techniques courses in the second.
The one culinary credential is the Culinary Arts Associate in Applied Science, a 67-credit degree with a 400-hour externship. The college states that the program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation. This page is for students who want an ACF-accredited culinary degree in the Portland area and want to know how much baking it includes.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Southern Maine Community College |
| Location | South Portland Campus, 2 Fort Road, South Portland, Maine |
| Credential | Culinary Arts, AAS |
| Baking credential | None; baking is coursework within Culinary Arts |
| Total credits | 67 |
| Published plan | Four semesters plus a summer externship; a part-time map is also posted |
| Baking coursework | Three courses, 8 credits |
| Externship | 400 hours minimum (CULA 200, 3 credits) |
| ACF accreditation | Stated by the college for the Culinary Arts program |
Culinary Program Options
The college describes the degree on its Culinary Arts program page, and the requirements are in the 2026–27 catalog. The catalog lists no culinary certificate, so the AAS is the only for-credit option.
Culinary Arts, AAS
The degree combines 45 credits of major courses with 22 credits of general education, including Normal Nutrition with Lab, Technical Mathematics, and Introduction to Psychology. The first year centers on four 4-credit courses: Culinary Skills, Basic Food Preparation, Basic Baking, and Food and Beverage Purchasing. Students take two of them each semester, alongside Introduction to Culinary, Hospitality and Tourism and a 1-credit ServSafe course. The posted full-time pathway places the externship in the summer after those labs.
Second-year courses are 2 credits each and are scheduled in two groups. One group covers Modern Culinary Trends, Catering, International Cuisine, and either Classical French Cuisine or Chef in Residence. The other holds Advanced Baking, Advanced Pastry Techniques, Planning/Dining Room Service, and Beverage. Students complete one group per semester, plus Menu Planning and Development and Human Resource Management.
Baking Courses in the Curriculum
The catalog lists three required baking and pastry courses:
- CULA 130 Basic Baking (4 credits): principles of mixing, scaling, and baking, with methods for bread, cake, frosting, cookie, and pie production and laminated dough. Written and performance exams measure progress.
- CULA 233 Advanced Baking (2 credits): advanced production methods for classical breads and baked goods, with presentation and service in the Culinary Arts dining room. Taken together with CULA 234.
- CULA 234 Advanced Pastry Techniques (2 credits): classical desserts, chocolate work, fine liqueurs, fruits, and sugar work, also served in the dining room. Taken together with CULA 233.
Both advanced courses require all four first-year labs. The rest of the culinary coursework covers knife skills, breakfast, vegetable and starch cookery, meat, fish and poultry, stocks and sauces, purchasing and inventory, catering, international and French a la carte service, beverages, and menu planning. Most kitchen courses require students to be in uniform with a culinary tool kit at every class.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The 2026–27 catalog lists tuition of $96 per credit hour for Maine residents, $144 for qualified New England Regional students, and $192 for non-residents. General fees are a $29 comprehensive fee and a $13 student services fee per credit hour, plus $16 a year for accident insurance charged to all students. The estimate below applies those rates to 67 credits across two academic years.
| 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 plus summer) | 67 | $9,278 | $12,494 | $15,710 |
The figures cover tuition, the two per-credit fees, and accident insurance. Books, uniforms, tools, housing, meals, and the optional payment plan fee are not included. The regional rate is limited to students whose home state does not offer the program, with other restrictions.
The department posts a uniform and equipment list with approximate costs for all four semesters: $350 for uniform and shoes, $225 for a knife kit, and $200 for books. The catalog lists no separate culinary lab or course fee. Current rates are on the tuition and fees page, which also links to a calculator with all three residency rates.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Southern Maine uses rolling admissions for most programs. High school or college coursework in algebra is recommended. The first-year labs carry corequisites of CULA 102, CULA 103, and MATH 040 or an appropriate placement, so placement results can affect which kitchen courses a new student may take in the first semester.
The college offers federal, state, and institutional aid and asks students to file the FAFSA. It recommends filing early because the Maine State Grant has an annual deadline, although the form can be submitted at any time in the academic year.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The externship requires at least 400 hours of work experience and a portfolio, completed after the first-year labs with department approval. Advanced baking, pastry, and cuisine courses include service in the Culinary Arts dining room, where the college hosts public luncheons that serve as labs. The ServSafe course ends with the national certification exam.
The program page lists chef, kitchen manager, catering business owner, and food truck owner among graduate roles, and it names Johnson & Wales University, the University of Southern Maine, and Southern New Hampshire University among the schools where graduates have continued through transfer agreements. An AAS is designed for employment first, so confirm how credits apply before planning on a bachelor’s degree.
Who This Program May Fit
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Earn a culinary degree with stated ACF accreditation | The college states that the Culinary Arts program is ACF accredited |
| Learn baking as one part of full kitchen training | Three baking and pastry courses, 8 of 67 credits, sit alongside savory, service, and management courses |
| Study part time | The college posts a part-time map that spreads the degree over ten semesters |
| 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
- Which two first-year labs would I take in my first semester, and when would Basic Baking fall?
- In which semester would I take the Advanced Baking and Advanced Pastry Techniques pair?
- Can the 400-hour externship be completed in a bakery or pastry kitchen?
- Are the posted uniform and knife kit costs current for this year?
- Do I qualify for the New England Regional rate or another tuition reduction?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Southern Maine Community College before applying.