Kingsborough Community College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY), teaches baking and pastry on its campus at 2001 Oriental Boulevard in Brooklyn. Its only baking credential is the Baking and Pastry Concentration of the 60-credit Culinary Arts AAS. The concentration replaces the general culinary track with six baking courses, from bread and laminated doughs to cake decorating and sugar showpieces.
The 2026–27 degree map fits the program into four 15-credit semesters and schedules several baking labs as six-week express courses, which matches Kingsborough’s calendar of a longer main session followed by a short module each term. The college says degree students log more than 600 hours of kitchen training in four learning kitchens and an on-campus restaurant, and every student completes an industry internship.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Kingsborough Community College, The City University of New York |
| Location | 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York |
| Credential | Culinary Arts AAS, Baking and Pastry Concentration (program code 33507) |
| Total credits | 60: 21 general education, 21 culinary major, and 18 baking and pastry concentration |
| Typical length | Four semesters in the 2026–27 degree map |
| Kitchen training | Over 600 hours, per the college |
| Department | Tourism and Hospitality |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The Culinary Arts program page describes two credentials: the AAS, with a choice of a Culinary Arts or a Baking and Pastry concentration, and a one-year Certificate in Culinary Arts. Only the AAS offers a baking concentration.
Culinary Arts AAS, Baking and Pastry Concentration
The 2026–27 catalog page for the AAS applies to students entering the major in fall 2026 or spring 2027. Baking students share a culinary core with the general track, covering culinary concepts, fundamental cooking skills, food service operations and sanitation, menu planning and cost control, and either beverage management or catering. They then add the 18-credit concentration. The Baking and Pastry degree map sets out a term-by-term order that accounts for prerequisites. Kingsborough requires students to meet with the program advisor.
Certificate in Culinary Arts as an Alternative
The 30-credit Certificate in Culinary Arts is a cooking credential. It includes one baking course, Baking I, and a 2025 curriculum change swapped the Patisserie course for an advanced cooking course so the certificate lines up with the general culinary concentration. Students who want a baking focus would need the AAS.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Baking I: Baking and Pastry Fundamentals sits in the shared major core. Each concentration course is 3 credits and meets five hours a week, mostly in the lab:
- Baking II: Techniques and Theory, covering laminated and enriched doughs, tortes, and artisan-style yeast breads
- Artisan Bread Baking, with pre-ferments and liquid starters
- Chocolate and Sugar Confections, including tempering and pulled, blown, and poured sugar showpieces
- Baking III: Advanced Skills, including petit gateaux, frozen desserts, and baking for special diets
- Professional Cake Decorating, ending in a wedding cake workshop on pricing and client consultation
- Contemporary Dessert Plating for buffet, banquet, and à la carte service
The fourth semester includes Internship in Culinary Arts, a nine-hour-a-week supervised placement. The degree map also sets a goal of earning the NYC Department of Health food handler certification and ServSafe Food Handler certification.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Kingsborough’s tuition rates page and the 2026–27 catalog list $2,400 per semester for full-time New York City residents (12 or more credits) and $210 per credit part time. Required full-time fees total $226.45 per semester: an $85 student activities fee, a $125 technology fee, a $15 consolidated fee, and a $1.45 student senate fee. New York residents who live outside the city need a certificate of residence from their county to get the resident rate. Out-of-state students pay $320 per credit with no full-time cap, plus the same fees. The estimate follows the four-semester degree map:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culinary Arts AAS, Baking and Pastry Concentration (4 semesters) | 60 | $10,506 | $20,106 |
The in-state figure is four semesters of $2,626.45. The out-of-state figure is 60 credits at $320 plus four semesters of fees. Kingsborough counts a fall session and the winter module that follows it as one term (and likewise spring and summer), so the six-week baking courses fall inside the same billing term. The totals leave out the application fee, textbooks, uniforms and tools, and transportation.
The catalog pages do not list culinary lab fees or a required knife kit, so ask the program office what baking students should budget for uniforms and equipment. Current rates appear in the 2026–27 college catalog.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applicants apply online through CUNY and list Kingsborough as their first choice. Freshman applicants submit a high school transcript or high school equivalency scores, and applicants with a U.S. diploma, equivalency diploma, or prior college may qualify for on-the-spot preliminary admission. The college posts rolling deadlines, but some programs may close early. Students must be English and math proficient under the CUNY Proficiency Index or complete any required developmental courses.
Matriculated students can use Pell Grants and other federal aid through the FAFSA, and eligible New York residents can apply for TAP, which the catalog caps at $4,800 at Kingsborough for 2026–27. Non-degree students are not eligible for financial aid.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Kingsborough says students are eligible for industry certifications from the National Restaurant Association (ServSafe and ServSafe Alcohol), the American Culinary Federation (Certified Culinarian), and the New York City health department. Internship sites include restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and caterers.
The AAS includes 21 credits of CUNY Pathways required and flexible core courses, and the college lists continuing at a senior college as one of the program’s options. The degree map’s final semester includes starting a bachelor’s transfer application for students who plan to continue, and the receiving school decides how the culinary courses count.
Who May Find This Concentration a Good Fit?
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Earn a baking-focused degree at CUNY tuition | New York City residents pay the flat full-time CUNY rate each semester |
| Cover bread, cakes, and confections | The six concentration courses include artisan bread, cake decorating, and sugar and chocolate work |
| Get supervised industry experience | A required internship is built into the final semester |
| Keep a bachelor’s degree open | The degree includes 21 credits of CUNY Pathways general education |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Can I start the Baking and Pastry concentration in spring, or only in fall?
- Which baking courses run as six-week express sessions in my first year?
- What uniform, knives, and baking tools do I need, and what do they cost?
- Are day and evening sections both offered for the baking labs?
- Where have recent baking students completed their internships?
- If I finish the culinary certificate first, how would its credits apply to the AAS?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Kingsborough Community College before applying.