Pennsylvania has 11 colleges with baking or pastry credentials: seven community colleges, two public institutions with university-level tuition, and two private colleges. They are spread across the state, from Philadelphia and its suburbs to Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Scranton, Williamsport, and Punxsutawney. Credentials range from a 16-credit certificate to a bachelor’s degree.
Residents of a community college’s sponsoring county pay the lowest rates. A baking certificate or diploma at a community college is estimated at about $3,600 to $11,700 for in-county residents, and an associate degree at about $11,100 to $15,700.
Baking and Pastry Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Programs, Credits and Estimated Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Bucks County Community College | Newtown | Baking and Pastry Arts, Associate of Arts: 62 credits – about $14,384 Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate: 23 credits – about $5,336 |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh | Baking and Pastry Arts, A.S.: 67 credits – about $11,114 |
| HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College | Harrisburg | Baking and Pastry Arts, Certificate: 33 credits – about $7,821 |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Punxsutawney | Baking and Pastry Arts, AAS: 60–61 credits – about $27,880 |
| Lackawanna College | Scranton | Baking and Pastry AS: 76 credits – $41,995 Restaurant and Food Service Management BS, Baking and Pastry Track: 142 credits – $78,715 |
| Luzerne County Community College | Nanticoke | Pastry Arts Management AAS: 61 credits – about $15,740 |
| Montgomery County Community College | Blue Bell | Baking and Pastry Arts AAS: 63 credits – about $14,490 Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate: 17 credits – about $3,910 |
| Northampton Community College | Bethlehem | Baking and Pastry Specialized Diploma: 25 credits – about $6,210 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport | Baking & Pastry Arts, AAS: 60 credits – about $38,040 Professional Baking, Certificate: 33 credits – about $20,994 |
| Walnut Hill College | Philadelphia | Pastry Arts Associate of Science: 99.5 quarter credits – $64,950 Pastry Arts Bachelor of Science: 195.5 quarter credits – $129,900 |
| Westmoreland County Community College | Youngwood | Pastry Arts Certificate: 16 credits – about $3,584 Pastry Arts Diploma: 45 credits – about $10,676 Pastry Arts AAS: 66 credits – about $14,337 Pastry Arts Diploma, Apprenticeship: 51 credits – about $11,722 Pastry Arts AAS, Apprenticeship: 69 credits – about $14,860 |
Community college estimates use each college’s 2026–27 tuition and mandatory fees for residents of its sponsoring county or district, over its published plan, before financial aid. Colleges that charge a flat full-time rate are estimated at that rate. Pennsylvania College of Technology and Indiana University of Pennsylvania figures use in-state rates. Lackawanna College and Walnut Hill College charge one rate for all students. Estimates exclude course and lab fees, books, uniforms, tools, housing, and living costs. Out-of-county and out-of-state estimates appear in each profile.
Which Pennsylvania Baking Program May Fit You?
Earn a Short Certificate or Diploma
Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood (16 credits) and Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell (17 credits) offer the shortest certificates. Bucks County Community College in Newtown has a 23-credit certificate, Northampton Community College in Bethlehem a 25-credit specialized diploma taught in the evening, and HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College in Harrisburg and Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport 33-credit certificates.
Earn a Baking Associate Degree
Nine colleges award an associate degree in baking or pastry: Bucks, Community College of Allegheny County, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Lackawanna College, Luzerne County Community College, Montgomery County, Penn College, Walnut Hill College, and Westmoreland. Community college degrees run 61 to 69 credits.
Stack a Certificate Into a Degree
At Bucks, Montgomery County, and Westmoreland, the certificate courses count toward the associate degree at the same college, so students can start short and continue.
Train Through an Apprenticeship
Westmoreland County Community College offers its Pastry Arts diploma and AAS as registered apprenticeships with 4,000 hours of paid on-the-job learning alongside coursework.
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia awards a Bachelor of Science in Pastry Arts, and Lackawanna College in Scranton offers a Restaurant and Food Service Management BS with a Baking and Pastry Track whose last two years are primarily online.
Certificate, Diploma, or Degree?
Certificates and Diplomas
Pennsylvania’s baking certificates and diplomas run 16 to 45 credits and concentrate on kitchen labs. The shortest may not qualify for federal financial aid on their own, so ask the college before enrolling.
Associate Degrees
Associate degrees add general education, management courses, and usually an internship or externship. Titles vary: Associate in Applied Science, Associate in Science, and at Bucks an Associate of Arts. Walnut Hill and Lackawanna measure theirs differently from the community colleges, at 99.5 quarter credits and 76 credits.
Bachelor’s Degrees
The two bachelor’s options are at private colleges and build on the associate degree. They add management and business coursework and cost considerably more than a community college credential.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Pennsylvania community colleges charge three tiers: residents of the sponsoring county or district, other Pennsylvania residents, and out-of-state students. Out-of-county rates are often about double the in-county rate. For 2026–27, in-county tuition is $130 per credit at the Community College of Allegheny County, $149 at Westmoreland, $170 at Bucks, $171 at Montgomery County, and $189.75 at HACC, before per-credit fees. Several colleges, including Northampton, Luzerne, Allegheny County, and Westmoreland, charge a flat rate for 12 to 18 credits.
Pennsylvania College of Technology and Indiana University of Pennsylvania charge in-state and out-of-state rates well above community college tuition. The private colleges charge one rate: $10,825 per term at Walnut Hill and $9,075 per semester plus fees at Lackawanna.
Baking students should also budget for:
- Course and lab fees, which most colleges charge on each kitchen course
- Uniforms, knife and pastry tool kits
- Food safety certification
- Textbooks and supplies
- Housing, transportation, and living expenses
Programs No Longer Listed
YTI Career Institute in Lancaster says it is not currently accepting new enrollments for its Pastry Arts diploma. Community College of Philadelphia, Delaware County Community College, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, and Drexel University teach culinary programs that include baking courses but no baking-titled credential.
Several schools have closed. JNA Institute of Culinary Arts in Philadelphia ceased operations in January 2026, and Pittsburgh Technical College closed in 2024. The Art Institute of Philadelphia closed in 2023, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2019, Keystone Technical Institute in Harrisburg in 2017, and Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh in 2012.
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Do I qualify for the in-county or sponsoring-district rate?
- Which baking courses are offered each semester, and can I finish in the published number of terms?
- What course and lab fees, uniforms, and tool kits are required, and what do they cost?
- Is the certificate or diploma eligible for federal financial aid on its own?
- Is the program accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation?
- Will my certificate courses count toward the associate degree later?
Bucks County Community College
Bucks teaches baking through short one- and two-credit labs on single subjects such as bread, chocolate, wedding cakes, frozen desserts, and cookies at its Newtown Campus. The 23-credit certificate stacks fully into the 62-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Associate of Arts, which adds two internships and a capstone.
See the Bucks County Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Community College of Allegheny County
CCAC offers one baking credential, a 67-credit Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. taught only at the Allegheny Campus in Pittsburgh, home of the college’s Culinary Institute. Baking courses are restricted to enrolled program students, and the degree includes a student-run pastry café and an externship of at least 100 hours. There is no baking certificate.
See the Community College of Allegheny County baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College teaches a single 33-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate in person at its Harrisburg Campus. The college states the certificate is ACFEF accredited, and the plan pairs three four-credit baking and pastry kitchen courses with a 280-hour internship. Graduates wanting a degree continue into the 66-credit Culinary Arts AAS.
See the HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
IUP’s Academy of Culinary Arts in Punxsutawney offers a 60–61 credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS: four semesters of kitchen labs on campus followed by a full-time, paid externship semester. It is billed at university tuition and fee rates plus a $500 per semester lab fee, and IUP states ACFEFAC accreditation for the academy. The current catalog lists no separate baking certificate.
See the Indiana University of Pennsylvania baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Lackawanna College
Lackawanna College is a private college in Scranton whose Kiesendahl School of Hospitality teaches baking in a Culinary Complex that houses the student-run restaurant 409 on Adams. It offers a 76-credit Baking and Pastry AS with a summer externship and a 142-credit Restaurant and Food Service Management BS with a Baking and Pastry Track, whose last two years are primarily online. Tuition is one rate regardless of residency.
See the Lackawanna College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Luzerne County Community College
Luzerne County Community College offers a 61-credit Pastry Arts Management AAS at the Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Institute in Nanticoke, which includes a pastry lab and a climate-controlled chocolate and sugar room. The degree combines three Foundations for Pastry labs and Bakery Operations with restaurant operations, hospitality management courses, and an internship. The college lists no shorter pastry certificate.
See the Luzerne County Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Montgomery County Community College
Montco teaches baking in the Hospitality Institute on its Blue Bell Campus, where students run the seasonal Bakery 340 pastry shop alongside Bistro 1964. The 17-credit certificate stacks into the 63-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS, which adds chocolate, sugar work, bakery production, and a 240-hour internship. Full-time day and part-time evening schedules are offered.
See the Montgomery County Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Northampton Community College
Northampton Community College offers a 25-credit Baking and Pastry Specialized Diploma on its Bethlehem campus, taught as an evening program that starts only in fall with limited seating. Eight sequential BAKE lab courses run over two consecutive semesters, and students earn ServSafe Manager certification in the first course.
See the Northampton Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport offers a 60-credit Baking & Pastry Arts AAS and a 33-credit Professional Baking Certificate, and its catalog states ACFEFAC accreditation for both. Students train in campus labs tied to the Le Jeune Chef restaurant and its retail market, and both credentials include a 240-hour internship. Tuition is charged at in-state and out-of-state per-credit rates, with lab fees billed separately.
See the Pennsylvania College of Technology baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Walnut Hill College
Walnut Hill College is a private, ACCSC-accredited hospitality college in Philadelphia’s University City that awards an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Pastry Arts on 10-week terms. Associate students work in production kitchens that supply the college’s public restaurants and Pastry Shop and finish with a tuition-covered study tour of France. One rate applies regardless of residency: $10,825 per term in 2026–27.
See the Walnut Hill College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Westmoreland County Community College
Westmoreland stacks its Pastry Arts programs as a 16-credit certificate, a 45-credit diploma, and a 66-credit AAS on the Youngwood campus. The diploma and AAS are also offered as registered apprenticeships with 4,000 hours of paid on-the-job learning, sponsored with the ACF Laurel Highlands Chapter. The college states ACFEFAC accreditation for Pastry Arts.
See the Westmoreland County Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Pennsylvania schools offer baking or pastry programs?
Eleven colleges currently list baking or pastry credentials: Bucks County Community College; Community College of Allegheny County; HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Lackawanna College; Luzerne County Community College; Montgomery County Community College; Northampton Community College; Pennsylvania College of Technology; Walnut Hill College; and Westmoreland County Community College.
What is the shortest baking program in Pennsylvania?
Westmoreland County Community College’s Pastry Arts Certificate requires 16 credits, and Montgomery County Community College’s Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate requires 17.
How much does a baking program cost in Pennsylvania?
For in-county residents at a community college, estimates run from about $3,584 for Westmoreland’s 16-credit certificate to about $15,740 for Luzerne’s AAS, before course fees. Penn College’s AAS is about $38,040 in-state and IUP’s about $27,880. Private college degrees range from $41,995 to $129,900.
Can I earn a bachelor’s degree in baking and pastry in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Walnut Hill College awards a Pastry Arts Bachelor of Science, and Lackawanna College offers a Restaurant and Food Service Management BS with a Baking and Pastry Track.
Which Pennsylvania baking programs are accredited by the American Culinary Federation?
HACC, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Westmoreland County Community College, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Academy of Culinary Arts state American Culinary Federation Education Foundation accreditation for their baking or pastry programs. Confirm current status with the college or the ACF.
Program requirements and costs can change. Confirm all details with the school before applying.