The International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute (ICASI) is a private career school in Chesterland, in Geauga County east of Cleveland. It offers two pastry credentials: a six-month Pastry Arts Basic Techniques Certificate and a two-year Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques Diploma. Both are measured in clock hours rather than college credits, and classes are scheduled for working adults, meeting two days a week plus one Friday or Saturday session.
ICASI was founded in 2002 as the career-training arm of the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, a recreational cooking school. The institute is registered with the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools and accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). Techniques classes are capped at 12 students.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute (ICASI) |
| Location | 8700 Mayfield Road, Chesterland, Ohio |
| Credentials | Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques Diploma; Pastry Arts Basic Techniques Certificate |
| Program length | 1,064 clock hours (six quarters, about two years); 336 clock hours (two quarters, about six months) |
| Accreditation | ACCET; registered with the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools |
| Entry | Fall or winter quarter; spring for the Saturday-only option when offered |
| Format | Campus-based, day, evening, and Saturday classes |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
ICASI’s Pastry Arts program page and its student catalog (revised June 2025) describe the two credentials as stages of one program. The certificate is the first two quarters of the diploma, so a certificate graduate can continue without starting over.
Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques Diploma
The 1,064-hour diploma adds two advanced pastry courses, two foodservice management courses, a 192-hour Student Café, and a 200-hour externship to the certificate coursework. The catalog says diploma students explore artisan breads, chocolate, sugar work, individual pastries, plated desserts, and wedding cakes. In the Student Café, senior students plan menus, cost recipes, and produce luncheons that are open to the public.
Pastry Arts Basic Techniques Certificate
The 336-hour certificate combines two pastry techniques courses with sanitation, nutrition, and a short savory cooking course. Students also complete internship hours by assisting with recreational cooking classes, food shows, or charity events. Under the Saturday-only option, when offered, the certificate takes about a year instead of six months.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The catalog lists these pastry courses and hours:
- Pastry Arts Basic Techniques 1 (120 hours): breads, cookies, pies, custards, ice cream, pâte à choux, puff pastry, croissants, and Danish
- Pastry Arts Basic Techniques 2 (120 hours): cake methods, European tortes, decorating, frozen desserts, and gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and sugar-controlled baking
- Savory Techniques for Pastry Students (48 hours): knife skills, stocks, pasta, pizza, and appetizers
- Sanitation (16 hours, with the ServSafe manager exam) and Nutrition and Healthy Cooking (32 hours)
- Diploma only: Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques 1 (120 hours), covering petit fours, artisan breads, pulled and blown sugar, and chocolate
- Diploma only: Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques 2 (120 hours), covering sculpted cakes, gumpaste, pastillage, and tiered wedding cakes
- Diploma only: Foodservice Management 1 and 2, ICASI Student Café, and the Pastry Arts Externship
Each 120-hour techniques course includes 24 lecture, 72 lab, and 24 internship hours. To graduate, students need a 2.0 GPA, an attendance rate above 80 percent, and a ServSafe certificate.
Tuition and Additional Costs
ICASI charges by course rather than by credit, and the same price applies to every student regardless of residency. The catalog’s tuition and fee schedule lists $3,710 for each 120-hour techniques course and the Student Café, $1,485 for each 48-hour course, $990 for Nutrition and Healthy Cooking, and $495 for Sanitation. The externship carries no fee. A one-time $125 enrollment fee and a books and supplies fee are due in the first quarter.
| Program | Clock hours | Tuition | Published total with enrollment fee and books and supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques Diploma (6 quarters) | 1,064 | $24,490 | $25,940 |
| Pastry Arts Basic Techniques Certificate (2 quarters) | 336 | $10,390 | $11,390 |
The books and supplies fee is $1,325 for the diploma and $875 for the certificate; students receive their uniforms, tool kit, and instructional materials at orientation. A certificate student who moves into the diploma pays an extra $450 textbook and supply fee. The totals leave out transportation and living costs. Other listed charges include a $25 late registration or late tuition fee and a $75 ServSafe exam retake fee.
Tuition is billed each quarter and is due 30 days before the quarter starts. The catalog says the enrollment agreement guarantees the tuition and fee schedule through completion, unless a student withdraws and is later readmitted.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applicants must be at least 17 and hold a high school diploma or GED; no cooking experience is needed. According to the admissions page, the application package includes the application form, a high school transcript or GED, two letters of recommendation, and a personal essay. Applicants also take the Wonderlic exam in reading and basic math, then schedule an enrollment appointment and pay the $125 enrollment fee. The school posts application deadlines for each quarter.
Federal financial aid is not available at ICASI, so Pell Grants and federal student loans cannot be used. The catalog points students to commercial education loans and to scholarships from the independent ICASI Scholarship Fund. All programs are approved for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Diploma applicants who hold a ProStart Certificate of Achievement can apply for a one-time $1,000 ICASI ProStart Grant.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The catalog lists pastry assistant, assistant baker, and home-based baker as entry-level roles for certificate graduates. For diploma graduates with industry experience, it names head baker, pastry chef, and bakeshop manager or owner. ICASI offers job placement assistance to students and graduates.
Because ICASI awards clock hours, college credit depends on the receiving school. ICASI’s catalog describes a 2018 articulation agreement under which Kent State University awards 30 credits for the Pastry Arts diploma and 10 credits for the certificate toward its Associate of Technical Studies, Individualized Program. ICASI’s agreement with Lakeland Community College covers only the Culinary Arts diploma.
Which ICASI Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Pastry Arts Basic Techniques Certificate | Six months of hands-on pastry training around a work schedule, leading to entry-level bakeshop jobs |
| Pastry Arts Advanced Techniques Diploma | Advanced sugar, chocolate, bread, and wedding cake work plus management, a student café, and an externship |
| Diploma plus Kent State ATS | A path to an associate degree using the 30 Kent State credits that ICASI’s catalog describes for the diploma |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Is the Saturday-only schedule being offered for the next spring start?
- Which day or evening sections have openings in my starting quarter?
- Where do recent pastry students complete their externships?
- How would I apply the Kent State articulation credits, and what would the remaining ATS coursework cost?
- What payment plans or private loan options do students typically use?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute before applying.