Paul Smith’s College is a small private college in the Adirondack hamlet of Paul Smiths, New York, that offers baking at both the associate and bachelor’s level. Its 2026–27 catalog lists a 62-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS and a 120-credit Baking Arts and Service Management Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS). The two programs share the same first four semesters.
What sets the programs apart is A.P. Smith’s, a retail bakery on campus that students stock and manage as part of their coursework. Students take turns as general manager, and off-campus industry work experience is built into both degrees: 400 hours for the AAS and 800 hours for the BPS. Paul Smith’s is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and charges one flat undergraduate tuition rate, whatever a student’s state of residence.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School type | Private college; institutional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education |
| Location | Paul Smiths, New York (residential campus in the Adirondacks) |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (62 credits); Baking Arts and Service Management BPS (120 credits) |
| Typical length | AAS: four semesters; BPS: eight semesters |
| Work experience | 400 hours (AAS) or 800 hours (BPS), with at least 200 hours at each site |
| Graduation requirement | ServSafe or food safety manager certification |
| 2026–27 tuition | $35,319 a year full time, plus an $800 comprehensive fee |
| Academic home | Institute of Adventure Hospitality & Food |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Both degrees appear in the college’s 2026–27 online catalog. The college does not list a baking certificate.
Baking and Pastry Arts AAS
The Baking and Pastry Arts AAS requires at least 62 credits, including 20 in the liberal arts. The first semester puts students in five baking labs at once, alongside First Year Seminar and food service sanitation. The third semester centers on the retail bakery, and the fourth covers plated desserts, confections, chocolate, and frozen desserts. The catalog prepares graduates to work as journeyman bakers, assistants to pastry chefs, retail bakery management trainees, and commercial bakers.
Baking Arts and Service Management BPS
The Baking Arts and Service Management BPS repeats the AAS sequence for four semesters, then adds management and advanced baking. Upper-level courses include Guided Study on Baking Techniques, Advanced Baking & Pastry Arts, Practical Pastry Chef Experience, catering logistics, financial decision making, and a Baking Capstone. In the capstone, students run a conceptual baking business as executive pastry chef and defend a portfolio. The degree requires 45 upper-division credits and 30 in the liberal arts and sciences.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Most baking courses carry two credits and are taken in clusters. Required BAK courses for the AAS include:
- Baking Essentials (baking math, formula conversion, and baker’s percentages)
- Classic & Modern Cookies, Tarts & Pies; Cakes, Creams and Fillings
- Yeast Doughs & Artisan Breads; Viennoiserie & Laminated Doughs
- European Pastries; International Pastries
- Bakery Retail Sweet & Savory Preparation (4 credits) and Baking Retail Management
- Frozen Desserts; Restaurant & Plated Desserts; Confectionary & Preserves; Chocolate Artistry
Students also take Culinary Fundamentals, Nutrition Food Science, Principles of Marketing, Social & Cultural Food Studies, two writing courses, a math course, and psychology or organizational behavior. The work experience courses carry no credit, and the catalog notes that a student enrolled only in work experience during a semester is not counted as enrolled.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The 2026–27 tuition and fees page lists $35,319 in annual undergraduate tuition for fall and spring, an $800 undergraduate comprehensive fee, and a $41 sustainability fund fee charged each fall. Part-time students pay $1,177 per credit, and credits above 18 in a semester cost $705 each. New York residents and out-of-state students pay the same rates. Estimates use the published program lengths:
| Program | Credits | Estimated tuition and fees (all students) |
|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (4 semesters) | 62 | $72,320 |
| Baking Arts and Service Management BPS (8 semesters) | 120 | $144,990 |
Each year of study is counted at $36,160 (tuition, the comprehensive fee, and the sustainability fee). The BPS figure also includes the $350 course fee the catalog lists for Guided Study on Baking Techniques. These estimates assume 2026–27 rates for every year and full-time study, and they do not reflect scholarships, which are common here.
Housing and meals are extra. Rooms cost $8,272–$12,707 a year, and meal plans cost $6,342 or $6,977. Students must buy a uniform packet through the college store, including five sets of chef’s whites, black non-slip safety shoes, and a complete pastry kit, which is billed to the student account. The catalog does not publish the packet price. Health insurance is charged unless a student shows proof of coverage, and the 2026–27 rate is listed as to be determined.
Admissions and Financial Aid
According to the first-year applicant page, the application is free and can be sent through the Common Application or directly to the admissions office. First-year applicants submit a high school transcript and a recommended 250–500 word essay. Recommendation letters and resumes are optional. Transfer, international, and veteran applicants each have separate instructions.
Merit scholarships of $10,000 to $24,000 a year are awarded automatically based on GPA. New York students can apply for TAP and the Higher Education Opportunity Program, and Vermont residents can apply for VSAC grants. Students should file the FAFSA for federal aid, and a net price calculator is available.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The program page names pastry chef, pastry sous chef, caterer, cake decorator, and bakery owner as career goals. For BPS graduates, the college points to roles such as executive pastry chef or bakery manager. The catalog notes that hotel bake shops, restaurant pastry departments, retail bakeries, and in-store bakeries recruit graduates.
Because the AAS and BPS share their first four semesters, AAS graduates can continue into the bachelor’s degree without repeating baking courses, and the AAS work hours count toward the 800-hour BPS requirement. No programmatic accreditation is stated for either baking degree. Students from other colleges should ask how their credits would apply to the BPS.
Which Paul Smith’s Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS | Two years of lab-heavy training plus a turn running a real retail bakery, then a job in production or retail baking |
| Baking Arts and Service Management BPS | The same foundation followed by management, catering, and capstone work aimed at executive pastry chef or bakery owner roles |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- What does the required uniform and pastry kit packet cost?
- What would my net price be after merit scholarships and TAP?
- Where have recent baking students completed their paid work experience?
- Which elective choices bring the AAS to the full 62 credits?
- How many students are in each baking lab, and how often does A.P. Smith’s open to the public?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Paul Smith’s College before applying.