Cerritos College runs its Professional Baking and Pastry program in the evening. The culinary department’s how-to-apply page states that baking is offered only at night, with labs that begin around 4 p.m., while the college’s chef training track meets in the daytime. Classes are held on the campus at 11110 Alondra Boulevard in Norwalk.
The 2026–27 catalog lists two awards: a 22-unit Certificate of Achievement and an Associate of Science degree that uses the same six courses as its major. Three sequential baking labs account for 14 of those 22 units.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Cerritos College |
| Location | Norwalk, California; 11110 Alondra Boulevard |
| Credentials | Culinary Arts: Professional Baking and Pastry Certificate of Achievement; Culinary Arts: Professional Baking and Pastry A.S. |
| Units | 22 (certificate); a minimum of 60 (A.S.) |
| Format | Campus-based; the department lists baking as evening only |
| Length | Three semesters on the program page plan; the department elsewhere estimates four to five |
| Health requirement | Proof of a negative TB test before Introduction to Baking Skills |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The department’s Baking and Pastry Program page shows a semester plan for the certificate. Unit totals and course titles below follow the catalog.
Professional Baking and Pastry Certificate of Achievement
The Certificate of Achievement is a transcripted award of 22 units in six courses: Introduction to Food Service, Safety, and Sanitation; Introduction to the Hospitality Industry; Introduction to Baking Skills; Professional Baking and Pastry Production I and II; and Human Relations in Hospitality. The program page plan puts 9 units in the first semester, 8 in the second, and 5 in the third.
Professional Baking and Pastry Associate of Science
The A.S. degree requires the same 22 units plus the college’s general education requirements and electives to reach at least 60 units. The catalog lists career outcomes of professional baker, pastry chef, pastry cook, and specialty baker. The department’s program page still calls the degree an Associate of Arts; the catalog title is Associate of Science.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The three baking labs build from fundamentals to plated and decorative work. Per the catalog’s course descriptions:
- Introduction to Baking Skills (4 units): breads, sweet and laminated doughs, pie doughs, fillings, cakes, and pastries; 36 lecture and 108 lab hours
- Professional Baking and Pastry Production I (5 units): creams, custards, frozen and fruit desserts, filled cakes, gateaux, and tortes, with quantity production for banquets and retail; 54 lecture and 126 lab hours
- Professional Baking and Pastry Production II (5 units): plated desserts, petit fours, candies, European cakes, sugar and chocolate showpieces, a three-tier wedding cake, and food costing; 54 lecture and 126 lab hours
- Introduction to Food Service, Safety, and Sanitation (2 units): food safety, with the ServSafe Manager Certification exam
- Hospitality courses: Introduction to the Hospitality Industry and Human Relations in Hospitality, 3 units each
The sanitation course is a corequisite for Introduction to Baking Skills, and each production course requires the one before it with a C or better. State rules require TB clearance for all three labs. The department describes a hands-on program in which students work in a production kitchen and operate the Cerritos College Culinary Arts Cafe; the college also runs the Falcon Room restaurant and on-campus catering.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The college’s fees page lists an enrollment fee of $46 per unit for California residents. Non-residents pay that fee plus $405 per unit ($365 tuition and a $40 capital outlay fee, effective Summer 2026), or $451 per unit. Each fall and spring semester also carries a $19 student health fee and a $2 student representation fee.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Baking and Pastry Certificate of Achievement (three semesters) | 22 | $1,075 | $9,985 |
| Professional Baking and Pastry A.S. (four semesters assumed) | 60 | $2,844 | $27,144 |
Each estimate multiplies units by the per-unit rate and adds $21 in health and representation fees per semester. Three semesters comes from the program page plan. Cerritos publishes no term-by-term plan for the degree, so the A.S. estimate assumes four semesters at the 60-unit minimum. Figures are before financial aid and exclude the $19 ASCC student activities fee, parking ($40 a semester), books, tools, uniforms, and living costs.
Program costs are separate. The catalog requires a baking kit and two sets of uniforms from the college’s approved vendor. The department’s Tuition and Fees page estimates $242 for baking tools, $100 for uniforms, and $400 for books, and puts the certificate at about $2,000 in total over four semesters. Each of the three baking labs also has a $50 course materials fee.
Admissions and Financial Aid
There is no separate program application. The department’s application steps are to apply to Cerritos College online, browse the class schedule, register through MyCerritos, pay fees, and view the culinary arts orientation. Students must provide proof of a negative TB skin test, or a normal chest X-ray from the past four years, before Introduction to Baking Skills. The department’s FAQ adds that culinary classes can fill, and that students already in the beginning lab get first priority for the intermediate and advanced labs.
The department recommends filing the FAFSA and says most of its students receive financial aid. The college’s financial aid office lists the California College Promise Grant among its programs, and the fees page shows a reduced parking rate for grant recipients. Scholarships for culinary students are offered through the Cerritos College Foundation.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Cerritos describes the program as preparation for employment and advancement in the hotel and restaurant industry, with a work experience component and industry partnerships that connect students to local employers. Production II includes costing formulas and volume production, which are skills used in retail and banquet pastry work.
All six required courses carry CSU transfer credit in the catalog, and the sanitation course carries a C-ID number. The department’s FAQ says the associate degree is reached by adding the required general education classes to the certificate courses, so certificate students can continue without repeating coursework.
Which Cerritos College Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Achievement | Three evening baking labs plus sanitation and two hospitality courses, without general education |
| Associate of Science | The same 22 units with general education and electives for a 60-unit degree and CSU-transferable credit |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- What are the current days and times for the three baking labs? The posted evening schedule sits on a page with older notices.
- How many semesters should I plan for? The program page shows three, and other department pages say four or four to five.
- What do the baking kit and two uniforms cost from the approved vendor this year?
- Is the ASCC student activities fee required, or can it be waived?
- How quickly do the baking labs fill, and when does registration open for new students?
- Is the program accredited by the American Culinary Federation? The catalog and department pages do not name a programmatic accreditor.
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Cerritos College before applying.