Niagara County Community College, which now uses the name SUNY Niagara, teaches its baking and pastry courses at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute (NFCI) at 28 Old Falls Street in downtown Niagara Falls. Opened in 2012, the building houses hearth and deck ovens, a chocolate tempering machine, a student-run bakeshop called La Patisserie, and Savor, a student-run restaurant where pastry students handle desserts and bread service.
Four credit-bearing baking credentials are available: a Baking and Pastry Arts AAS, a two-semester Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate, and two short microcredentials, Baking Basics and Advanced Pastry. Program details below come from the college’s 2026–27 Student Catalog, its microcredential pages, and its Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 tuition and fee pages.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Niagara County Community College (SUNY Niagara) |
| Location | Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, Niagara Falls, New York; main campus in Sanborn |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry Arts AAS; Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate; Baking Basics and Advanced Pastry microcredentials |
| Credits | 64 (AAS); 27 (certificate); 8 and 10 (microcredentials, based on catalog course credits) |
| Typical length | Four semesters or a 16-month accelerated plan (AAS); two semesters (certificate) |
| Entry | Fall, spring, or summer (AAS); fall or spring (certificate) |
| Accreditation | American Culinary Federation, as stated in the catalog |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The NFCI programs page lists the degree and certificate alongside culinary and hospitality options. One rule applies to both: because NFCI is not a branch campus, the catalog requires students to take at least one required course on the Sanborn campus.
Baking and Pastry Arts AAS
The Baking and Pastry Arts AAS requires at least 64 credits, including 43 in baking, pastry, and culinary management. The typical program spreads these over four semesters of 15 to 17 credits. A second published plan compresses the degree into 16 months for fall starters by adding a winter intersession course and a 12-credit summer term. The catalog advises checking with Financial Aid first, since Excelsior, TAP, and loans are limited for the accelerated plan.
Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate
The 27-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate is a two-semester program of 13 and 14 credits. Apart from Foundations of Communication, every course is in baking, pastry, or sanitation. All certificate courses also appear in the AAS, so the catalog notes that students can continue into the degree. Part-time students may take a lighter load over a longer period.
Baking Basics and Advanced Pastry Microcredentials
These credit-bearing microcredentials lead to a digital badge. Baking Basics combines Baking Theory and Principles, Baking Foundations, and a breads course, 8 credits in total. Advanced Pastry covers Baking Nutrition and Special Diets, Showpieces, Candies and Confections, and Culinary Cannabis and Edibles, 10 credits in total. The advanced pastry courses list several first-year PAS courses as prerequisites, so it is aimed mainly at students with prior pastry training.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Most pastry labs meet for six hours a week. Across the four credentials, the 2026–27 catalog lists courses such as:
- Baking Theory and Principles, and Baking Foundations
- Breads, Rolls and Breakfast Pastries, with straight, sponge, sourdough, and laminated doughs
- Classical Pastries, Cakes and Tortes, and Plated Desserts
- Specialty Cakes, covering royal icing, marzipan, modeling chocolate, pastillage, and gum paste
- Candies and Confections, and Showpieces in chocolate, sugar or isomalt, and pastillage
- Bakery Experience I and II in La Patisserie and Savor
- Advanced Pastry Techniques and Advanced Bread Production (AAS)
The AAS adds Purchasing and Costing, Food Supervisory Management, a 3-credit Industry Experience course, and general education in writing, communication, math, science, and diversity. A grade of C or better is required in the pastry lab courses.
Tuition and Additional Costs
For Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, SUNY Niagara charges full-time students (12 or more credits) $2,724 per semester at the New York resident rate, which applies to Niagara County residents and to residents of other New York counties who present a Certificate of Residence. Out-of-state students and New York residents without a certificate pay $5,448. Part-time tuition is $227 per credit for residents and $454 otherwise. Mandatory 2026–27 fees add $44 per credit: a $21 general fee, a $22 student government and athletic fee, and a $1 support services fee.
The degree and certificate estimates use their published semester plans, all at full-time loads. Each microcredential assumes one part-time term at per-credit rates:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (4 semesters) | 64 | $13,712 | $24,608 |
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate (2 semesters) | 27 | $6,636 | $12,084 |
| Baking Basics Microcredential (1 term assumed) | 8 | $2,168 | $3,984 |
| Advanced Pastry Microcredential (1 term assumed) | 10 | $2,710 | $4,980 |
These figures leave out the Wolf Packed course materials charge of $25 per credit, which is billed unless a student opts out. The 16-month AAS plan is not shown, since it relies on intersession and summer terms and the posted rates cover only fall and spring.
Program costs are extra. The student fees page lists a $130 Baking and Pastry Arts lab fee per course and a $445 NFCI Baking and Pastry program kit for new and transfer students. The catalog also requires an NFCI uniform. Current rates are on the tuition rates page.
Admissions and Financial Aid
SUNY Niagara has open enrollment for high school graduates and equivalency holders. New students apply online and send an official high school transcript or equivalency certificate. Lab courses require students to stand at a station for up to three hours, lift up to 25 pounds, and work safely with ovens and mixers.
The certificate page links to Gainful Employment information. Microcredential students new to the college apply as non-matriculated students, and the college states that non-matriculated students cannot receive financial aid. Neither baking microcredential is marked eligible for New York’s Part-Time TAP for non-degree credentials.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
According to the catalog, graduates are prepared for work as a baker, assistant baker, or assistant pastry chef, and AAS graduates for above-entry-level roles in private clubs, hotels, restaurants, and casinos. Faculty are ACF-certified.
For transfer, the AAS lists dual admission with SUNY Buffalo State University and articulation agreements with Buffalo State, Paul Smith’s College, and Empire State College. Confirm the terms of each agreement with the receiving school.
Which SUNY Niagara Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking Basics Microcredential | A first taste of baking theory, lab fundamentals, and bread in a single part-time term |
| Advanced Pastry Microcredential | Showpiece, confection, and special-diet skills after earlier pastry coursework |
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate | A two-semester, mostly hands-on credential that counts toward the AAS |
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS | Advanced pastry, bread production, industry experience, and general education, with a 16-month option |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which course will I need to take on the Sanborn campus, and when?
- Which courses carry the $130 Baking and Pastry Arts lab fee?
- What does the NFCI uniform cost, and is the program kit billed once or each year?
- How would the 16-month AAS plan affect my TAP, Excelsior, or loan eligibility?
- Is the certificate eligible for federal Pell Grants?
- Can microcredential courses later count toward the certificate or AAS?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Niagara County Community College before applying.