Southwestern Illinois College offers two baking credentials through its Culinary Arts and Food Management program: a 65-credit Baking and Pastry AAS (066F) and a 41-credit Baking and Pastry Certificate (066E). Both include an internship, and the degree has a transfer agreement with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
The two programs share a long list of pastry courses, including two levels of cake decorating, advanced decorating techniques, ice cream and frozen desserts, and experimental baking. SWIC’s culinary kitchen is on the Sam Wolf Granite City Campus. Details below come from the 2026–27 SWIC catalog.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) |
| Location | Culinary kitchen at the Sam Wolf Granite City Campus, Granite City, Illinois; main campus in Belleville |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry AAS (066F); Baking and Pastry Certificate (066E) |
| Credits | 65; or 41 credits |
| Length | AAS: four semesters in the catalog sequence; certificate: not published |
| Internship | Internship I required in both |
| Program area | Culinary Arts and Food Management |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Both credentials appear in the Culinary Arts and Food Management section of the 2026–27 SWIC catalog, alongside a Culinary Arts and Food Management AAS and four other certificates. The degrees and certificates page links to each program.
Baking and Pastry AAS
The Baking and Pastry AAS blends baking science and technique with business courses such as cost control, legal aspects of food service, menu pricing, purchasing, and hospitality management. General education includes Rhetoric and Composition I, Business Mathematics, public speaking, sociology, first aid, and a human relations elective.
The catalog sequence runs four semesters of 17, 14, 17, and 17 credits. SWIC also offers an accelerated option: anyone who already holds an associate or bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college can earn the AAS by completing at least 27 credits of program coursework.
Baking and Pastry Certificate
The Baking and Pastry Certificate is 41 credits of culinary and baking coursework with no general education. It keeps every pastry lab from the degree and adds Table Service, while leaving out general education and three business courses: Legal Aspects of Food Service Management, Menu Development and Pricing, and Food Service Purchasing. Sixteen of the 17 certificate courses also appear in the AAS, so most of the credits carry forward.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Baking and pastry courses required in both credentials include:
- Baking and Pastry, and Advanced Professional Baking
- Cake Decorating I and II
- Advanced Decorating Techniques (4 credits)
- Experimental Baking Techniques, a lab study of how ingredients behave during baking
- Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts
- Breads, Rolls and Pastries
- Professional Food Preparation I, Sustainable Kitchen, and Culinary Nutrition for Food Service
Both credentials also require Food Service Sanitation, Introduction to Culinary Arts, and Internship I. Students who hold a valid ServSafe Food Protection Manager or Illinois Food Handler certification can ask the coordinator about credit for the sanitation course. The department sets physical requirements that students must be able to meet.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Starting fall 2026, SWIC charges $145 per credit for District 522 residents, $240 per credit for Illinois residents outside the district without an approved chargeback, and $236 per credit for out-of-state residents. All students pay two mandatory fees totaling $9 per credit: a $6 information technology fee and a $3 student services fee. The AAS estimate uses the catalog’s four semesters. No certificate length is published, so that estimate assumes three semesters; SWIC has no flat per-term fee, so the term count does not change the totals:
| 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 AAS (4 semesters) | 65 | $10,010 | $16,185 | $15,925 |
| Baking and Pastry Certificate (3 semesters assumed) | 41 | $6,314 | $10,209 | $10,045 |
These estimates cover tuition and the two mandatory fees only. Course fees, First Day digital course materials (students are opted in automatically but may opt out), uniforms, tools, transportation, and living costs are extra.
Every SWIC credit class carries a course fee that varies by course and is posted in the class schedule. The most recent program cost sheets on the SWIC site date from 2019–20 and listed $1,795 in course fees and about $1,641 in textbooks for the certificate, and $1,900 in course fees and about $2,787 in textbooks for the AAS. Treat those as a rough guide only. Current rates are on the tuition and fees page.
Admissions and Financial Aid
SWIC has an open-door admission policy. New students submit a New Student Information Form online or through Enrollment Services and provide proof of residency. High school graduates, adults 18 or older who are no longer in high school, and transfer students meeting either condition are eligible, and approved high school students can take courses through dual enrollment.
Students apply for federal aid, including Pell Grants, by filing the FAFSA each year. The catalog does not state Pell eligibility for the certificate specifically, so certificate students should confirm it with the Financial Aid, Veteran Services and Student Employment office.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The catalog lists bakery manager or owner and pastry chef as career outcomes. The program partners with the National Restaurant Association and the Council of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education, and the required internship gives both certificate and degree students supervised industry experience.
For students aiming at a bachelor’s degree, the Baking and Pastry AAS has an articulation agreement with SIU Edwardsville’s BS in Hospitality and Tourism Administration. Certificate graduates who continue into the AAS would mainly add general education and business courses.
Which SWIC Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Certificate | A full pastry lab sequence and an internship without general education courses |
| Baking and Pastry AAS | The same pastry training plus business courses and a transfer route to SIUE |
| Accelerated AAS option | A baking degree after an earlier associate or bachelor’s degree, with at least 27 program credits |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Are all baking labs held at the Sam Wolf Granite City Campus, and are evening sections offered?
- How many semesters does the certificate usually take for a full-time student?
- What are the current course fees for each CUL lab, and what uniform and tool kit is required?
- Does the $236 out-of-state rate apply to me, or does any out-of-state waiver still exist?
- Where are internship placements typically arranged, and how many hours are required?
- Is the certificate eligible for Pell Grant funding?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Southwestern Illinois College before applying.