Rend Lake College in Ina offers the Baking and Pastry Arts Occupational Certificate, a 28-credit program that finishes with a summer term devoted to pastry: Professional Pastry Principles, Restaurant Production Desserts, and a new chocolate course. The certificate is part of Rend Lake’s Culinary Arts program in the Applied Science and Technology Division.
Although the catalog describes it as a two-semester certificate, the published sequence runs fall, spring, and summer. Culinary labs and faculty offices are in the Student Center on the Ina campus, alongside the RL Café. Details below come from the 2026–27 Rend Lake catalog and the college’s program cost sheet.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Rend Lake College |
| Location | Ina, Illinois; culinary labs in the Student Center |
| Credential | Baking and Pastry Arts Occupational Certificate |
| Total credits | 28 credits |
| Sequence | Fall, spring, and summer terms |
| Division | Applied Science and Technology |
| Program area | Culinary Arts |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Rend Lake’s Culinary Arts program page lists two short-term certificates, Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts, plus a Culinary Arts Management AAS. The baking certificate is the only credential focused on pastry work.
Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate
The certificate appears on page 96 of the 2026–27 catalog. It is designed to prepare students for supervisory or technical roles in food service, and the catalog says graduates typically work in food preparation at restaurants, hotels, institutions, and bakeries.
The fall term carries most of the load at 16 credits. Spring adds Professional Artisan Bread and Employability Skills for 4 credits, and summer finishes with 8 credits of pastry, desserts, and chocolate. The chocolate course is marked in the catalog as pending Illinois Community College Board approval.
Continuing Into Culinary Arts Management
The 64-credit Culinary Arts Management AAS requires Professional Cooking I, Food Sanitation, Culinary Math, Professional Baking Techniques, and Employability Skills, which together make up 17 of the certificate’s 28 credits. The degree lists Professional Artisan Bread, Professional Pastry Principles, and Restaurant Production Desserts as recommended courses rather than requirements.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The certificate’s nine courses, in catalog order:
- Professional Cooking I (6 credits)
- Food Sanitation (1 credit), which prepares students for the ServSafe Food Protection Manager exam
- Culinary Math (3 credits)
- Professional Baking Techniques (6 credits), covering cookies, quick breads, pies and tarts, custards, pâte à choux, yeast breads, and basic cake decorating
- Employability Skills (1 credit) and Professional Artisan Bread (3 credits)
- Professional Pastry Principles (4 credits), including laminated dough, sugar work, confections, and wedding cakes
- Restaurant Production Desserts (2 credits) and Chocolate Manufacturing (2 credits)
Professional Baking Techniques combines 2 lecture hours with 8 lab hours. The catalog’s course description lists Professional Pastry Principles at 6 credits, while the certificate lists it at 4; students should confirm which version they will take.
Tuition and Additional Costs
For 2026–27, Rend Lake charges $110 per credit for in-district students and $220 per credit for out-of-district, out-of-state, and international students. Every student also pays a $42 per credit universal instructional support fee, which covers textbook, technology, and academic service costs. There is no flat per-term fee, so the three-term sequence does not affect the estimate:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate (fall, spring, summer) | 28 | $4,256 | $7,336 | $7,336 |
These figures include tuition and the instructional support fee only. Course fees, uniforms, knives, any textbooks not covered by the fee, transportation, and living costs are extra.
Rend Lake’s program cost sheet lists $2,055 in course fees: $400 each for Professional Cooking I, Professional Baking Techniques, Professional Artisan Bread, Professional Pastry Principles, and Restaurant Production Desserts, plus $55 for Food Sanitation. It also lists $455 in supplies (a $315 knife kit, two chef coats, houndstooth pants, an apron, and a hat) and $431 in textbooks. The full tuition and costs page links to fees by course.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Rend Lake has an open enrollment policy. New students submit an enrollment form, an official high school transcript or GED certificate, and test scores or an alternate placement assessment, then meet with the Academic Advisement Center. Transfer students also send transcripts from every college attended. Some culinary courses carry prerequisites, and Culinary Math may require a prerequisite based on test scores.
Students can apply for Pell Grants and other aid by filing the FAFSA. Rend Lake does not state on the program page whether this certificate is eligible for federal aid, so students should confirm it with the Office of Financial Aid. Because the summer term carries only 8 credits, students should also ask how aid applies to that term.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The certificate prepares students for food preparation work in restaurants, hotels, institutions, and bakeries. The cost sheet notes that no professional license is required. Food Sanitation prepares students for the national ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification exam.
The certificate is occupational and does not include general education. Students who later want a degree can apply the shared coursework toward the Culinary Arts Management AAS; the program page also links to McKendree University’s articulation and transfer plans.
Who May Find This Certificate a Good Fit?
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Finish within one calendar year | The 28 credits run from fall through the following summer |
| Focus on plated desserts and chocolate | The summer term is devoted to pastry, desserts, and chocolate |
| Keep tuition low in southern Illinois | In-district tuition and fees come to about $4,256 before course fees |
| Keep a degree option open | 17 credits also count toward the Culinary Arts Management AAS |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Has the chocolate course received ICCB approval, and will it be offered next summer?
- Is Professional Pastry Principles a 4-credit or 6-credit course for certificate students?
- Can I start the certificate in spring, or only in fall?
- Is the certificate Pell eligible, and how does aid work for the summer term?
- Do baking students work in the RL Café as part of their labs?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Rend Lake College before applying.