South Carolina has four technical colleges with baking or pastry credentials, in Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Bluffton, and the Charleston area. All four offer an associate degree, and three also offer a shorter baking certificate of 12 to 30 credits.
Each college charges its lowest rate to residents of its own county or service area, from $181 to $228 per credit in tuition for 2026–27. Associate degree estimates for those residents run from about $12,100 to $19,700 in tuition and mandatory fees, and certificates from about $2,400 to $7,300.
Baking and Pastry Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Programs, Credits and Estimated Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville Technical College | Greenville | Culinary Arts Technology AAS, Baking and Pastry Arts Concentration: 69 credits – about $16,564 Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate in Applied Science: 30 credits – about $7,305 |
| Horry-Georgetown Technical College | Myrtle Beach | Baking and Pastry Arts AAS: 70 credits – about $13,159 |
| Technical College of the Lowcountry | Bluffton | Baking and Pastry Arts, AAS: 70 credits – about $19,725 Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate: 22 credits – about $6,240 |
| Trident Technical College | North Charleston | Baking and Pastry Arts, AAS: 60 credits – about $12,092 Baking and Pastry Certificate: 15 credits – about $3,037 Cake Decorating Certificate: 12 credits – about $2,437 |
Estimates use each college’s 2026–27 tuition and mandatory fees for residents of its county or service area, over its published plan, before financial aid. They exclude program, course, and lab fees, books, uniforms, tools, and living costs. Greenville Technical College’s separate $35 per credit culinary program fee is not included. Estimates for other South Carolina residents and out-of-state students appear in each profile.
Which South Carolina Baking Program May Fit You?
Earn a Short Baking Certificate
Trident Technical College offers a 15-credit Baking and Pastry Certificate and a 12-credit Cake Decorating Certificate. Technical College of the Lowcountry in Bluffton offers a 22-credit certificate, and Greenville Technical College a 30-credit certificate. In each case the certificate courses count toward the college’s degree.
Earn a Baking Associate Degree
Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach and Technical College of the Lowcountry each offer a 70-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS, and Trident a 60-credit AAS. Greenville Tech offers a Baking and Pastry Arts Concentration within its 69-credit Culinary Arts Technology AAS.
Train in the Charleston Area
Trident Technical College‘s Culinary Institute of Charleston has bakery kitchens on its Thornley Campus in North Charleston, and its AAS is part of a transfer partnership with the College of Charleston.
Run a Retail Bakery as a Capstone
Horry-Georgetown, Technical College of the Lowcountry, and Trident each end the associate degree with a retail bakery capstone course.
Certificate or Associate Degree?
Certificates
South Carolina’s baking certificates run 12 to 30 credits and stack into the associate degree at the same college. Colleges do not always state whether the shortest certificates qualify for federal financial aid on their own, so ask before enrolling.
Associate Degrees
The associate degrees run 60 to 70 credits over five or six terms, including a summer. They add general education, hospitality or business courses, and an internship or capstone to the baking sequence. Horry-Georgetown states that its baking degree is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation.
Tuition and Additional Costs
South Carolina technical colleges charge three tiers: residents of the college’s county or service area, other South Carolina residents, and out-of-state students. For 2026–27, the local rate is $181 per credit at Horry-Georgetown, $200 at Trident, $221 at Greenville, and $228 at the Technical College of the Lowcountry. Horry-Georgetown caps tuition at 15 credits per semester; the others charge per credit with no cap.
Out-of-state rates run from $363 to $474 per credit. Eligible South Carolina residents may qualify for state lottery tuition assistance, which is not reflected in the estimates.
Baking students should also budget for:
- Program, course, and lab fees, which vary by college
- Uniforms, knife and pastry tool kits
- Food safety certification
- Textbooks and supplies
- Transportation and living expenses
Programs No Longer Listed
Spartanburg Community College, Bob Jones University, Denmark Technical College, and Northeastern Technical College offer culinary arts programs without a baking-titled credential. The Art Institute of Charleston, which taught baking and pastry, closed in 2018, and Johnson & Wales University closed its Charleston campus in 2006.
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Do I qualify for the county or service-area rate?
- Which baking courses are offered each term, and can I finish in the published number of terms?
- What program, course, and lab fees, uniforms, and tool kits are required, and what do they cost?
- Is the certificate eligible for federal financial aid or lottery tuition assistance?
- At which campus do the baking labs meet?
- Will my certificate courses count toward the associate degree later?
Greenville Technical College
Greenville Tech’s Culinary Institute of the Carolinas, listed at the Northwest Campus, offers a 30-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate and a Baking and Pastry Arts Concentration within the 69-credit Culinary Arts Technology AAS. Both use the same five bakeshop labs, and all certificate credits can count toward the concentration. Tuition is charged per credit with no full-time cap, and culinary programs carry a separate $35 per credit program fee that is not included in the estimates.
See the Greenville Technical College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
HGTC’s International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach, on the Grand Strand Campus, offers a standalone 70-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS with twelve baking courses, an internship, and a retail bakery capstone. The college states the program is accredited by the ACFEF Accrediting Commission. HGTC has no baking certificate; the sample schedule runs five semesters starting in fall.
See the Horry-Georgetown Technical College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Technical College of the Lowcountry
Technical College of the Lowcountry teaches baking at the Culinary Institute of the South in Bluffton, a 30,305-square-foot facility with a baking lab and teaching restaurant. It offers a 70-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS and a 22-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate whose courses all count toward the degree. The AAS adds hospitality business courses, a retail bakery capstone, and a closing internship-style course.
See the Technical College of the Lowcountry baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Trident Technical College
Trident Technical College’s Culinary Institute of Charleston offers a 60-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS, a 15-credit Baking and Pastry Certificate that stacks into the degree, and a 12-credit Cake Decorating Certificate. Bakery kitchens on the Thornley Campus in North Charleston are limited to 16 students, and the degree ends with a retail bakery capstone. The AAS is included in the college’s EPIC Scholars transfer partnership with the College of Charleston.
See the Trident Technical College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many South Carolina schools offer baking or pastry programs?
Four technical colleges: Greenville Technical College, Horry-Georgetown Technical College, the Technical College of the Lowcountry, and Trident Technical College.
What is the shortest baking program in South Carolina?
Trident Technical College’s Cake Decorating Certificate requires 12 credits and its Baking and Pastry Certificate requires 15.
Does South Carolina offer a baking and pastry associate degree?
Yes. Horry-Georgetown, the Technical College of the Lowcountry, and Trident each offer a Baking and Pastry Arts AAS, and Greenville Technical College offers a Baking and Pastry Arts Concentration within its Culinary Arts Technology AAS.
How much does a baking program cost in South Carolina?
For residents of each college’s county or service area, associate degree estimates run from about $12,092 at Trident to about $19,725 at the Technical College of the Lowcountry, and certificates from about $2,437 to about $7,305, before program and lab fees.
Are South Carolina baking programs accredited by the American Culinary Federation?
Horry-Georgetown Technical College states that its Baking and Pastry Arts AAS is accredited by the ACFEF Accrediting Commission. Confirm current status for any program with the college or the ACF.
Program requirements and costs can change. Confirm all details with the school before applying.