Riverside City College offers baking and pastry in two shapes. One is a compact 25-unit program built on two 8.5-unit courses, which the college says a full-time student can finish in 12 months. The other breaks similar material into sixteen short courses of 1.5 to 2 units, so students can study part-time and collect three 10-unit certificates on the way to a 28-unit award.
The 2026–27 catalog lists six credit awards with baking and pastry in the title, plus noncredit Certificates of Completion that mirror the part-time track through RCC Extended Learning. Baking program information workshops are held at 3801 Market Street in downtown Riverside, where the Culinary Arts Academy is based.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Riverside City College (Riverside Community College District) |
| Location | Riverside, California; the culinary program office and baking information workshops are at 3801 Market Street |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. and Certificate of Achievement; Professional Skills in Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement; Introduction, Intermediate, and Advanced Professional Skills certificates; noncredit Certificates of Completion |
| Units | 25 (certificate), 60 (A.S.), 28, or 10 units each; the noncredit version totals 810 hours |
| Format | Campus-based |
| Length | 12 months full-time (25-unit program); about two years part-time (28-unit certificate); about one year for each 10-unit certificate, per the college |
| Admission | The 25-unit baking program uses a separate online application with limited dates |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Requirements appear in the 2026–27 catalog and on the college’s Culinary Arts page. The catalog titles the credit awards Certificates of Achievement.
Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. and Certificate of Achievement
The Baking and Pastry program requires 25 units: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry (8.5), Advanced Baking and Pastry (8.5), ServSafe Food Safety (2), Nutrition (3), and a 3-unit human resources management course. Completing those courses earns the certificate. The A.S. adds general education and other graduation requirements described in the catalog.
Professional Skills in Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement
The 28-unit certificate is designed for students who want to study baking while completing other coursework. It combines ServSafe Food Safety with fifteen BAK courses, from Introduction to Breads, Rolls and Pastry Basics through Sugar Artistry and Pastillage. The college lists a typical completion time of two years.
Introduction, Intermediate, and Advanced Professional Skills certificates
Three 10-unit certificates divide that track into stages. The introductory certificate covers breads, Viennoiserie, cookies and brownies, and custards and creams. The intermediate certificate covers cake mixing, pies and tarts, quick breads, buttercreams and cake assembly, and cost control. The advanced certificate covers plated desserts, candies and confections, advanced cake decorating, chocolate and bonbons, and sugar artistry. The first two include ServSafe Food Safety.
Noncredit Certificates of Completion
RCC Extended Learning offers the same sequence as noncredit, tuition-free courses numbered in the 800s. The Professional Skills in Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate of Completion totals 810 hours, and the catalog also lists introductory, intermediate, and advanced noncredit certificates and a Math Skills for the Professional Baker Certificate of Competency. Noncredit courses do not earn college units.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Both tracks cover the same ground at different paces. Course areas include:
- Breads: yeast dough formulation, lean and enriched breads, artisanal and specialty breads, and laminated doughs
- Pastry basics: cookies, brownies, custards, creams, pies, tarts, quick breads, and muffins
- Cakes: mixing methods, buttercreams, assembly, fillings, icings, and advanced decorating
- Advanced work: plated desserts and sauces, candies and confections, chocolate tempering and bonbons, pastillage, and sugar showpieces
- Professional practice: ServSafe food safety, baker’s formulas and percentages, and recipe costing
The 25-unit program also requires nutrition and human resources management, which the short-course track does not. RCC separately lists a 4-unit Cake Decorating certificate that the catalog classifies as locally approved.
Tuition and Additional Costs
RCC’s Tuition and Fees page lists a Fall 2026 enrollment fee of $46 per unit. Non-residents add a $443 per unit surcharge, for $489 per unit, and out-of-country students add another $25 per unit. Each fall semester carries a $24 health services fee and a transportation fee of $5.50 for students in more than 6 units or $5.00 otherwise.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement (two semesters) | 25 | $1,209 | $12,284 |
| Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. (four semesters assumed) | 60 | $2,878 | $29,458 |
| Professional Skills in Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement (four semesters) | 28 | $1,406 | $13,810 |
| Introduction, Intermediate, or Advanced Professional Skills certificate (two semesters each) | 10 | $518 | $4,948 |
| Noncredit Certificates of Completion | 810 hours (full sequence) | Tuition-free | Not stated |
Each estimate multiplies units by the per-unit rate and adds the health and transportation fees for every semester, using the completion times RCC publishes and a four-semester A.S. of 60 units. The Spring 2027 health fee is assumed to match the fall. Figures are before financial aid and exclude the optional $30 student services fee, the $50 parking permit, books, uniforms, tools, and living costs. Taking ServSafe in a summer term adds a $20 health fee.
For its culinary academy, the college lists uniforms at $331.90, a knife set at $311.30, non-skid shoes at about $100, and textbooks at about $350. It does not publish a separate supply list for baking students.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applicants first submit an RCC admissions application. The Culinary Arts page then describes a second, online program application that is accepted only on specified dates, with applicants selected by a random numbering process because space is limited. The college posts those dates along with information workshop times, and it advises all interested students to attend a workshop. Accepted baking students begin in the fall semester, with a summer start for anyone who still needs ServSafe.
RCC’s fee page shows a reduced parking rate for California College Promise Grant recipients. Ask the Financial Aid office how the grant applies to enrollment fees and whether each baking certificate is eligible for federal aid, since the catalog entries do not say.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Program outcomes in the catalog center on bakeshop food safety, equipment, mixing methods, product evaluation and costing, cake and confection work, and sugar centerpieces. Entries also say students are expected to collaborate with industry partners. The Culinary Arts Academy at the Market Street site operates a student-run restaurant that is open to the public.
The catalog entries do not describe transfer agreements for BAK courses. Students aiming for a bachelor’s degree should plan the A.S. general education pattern with a counselor.
Which Riverside City College Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement | A full-time, 12-month program built on two large baking courses |
| Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. | The 25-unit program plus general education for an associate degree |
| Professional Skills in Baking and Pastry Arts (28 units) | A part-time route through sixteen short courses |
| Introduction, Intermediate, or Advanced Professional Skills certificate | One 10-unit stage at a time, each earning its own certificate |
| Noncredit Certificates of Completion | Tuition-free skills training without college units |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- When does the baking program application next open, and how many students are accepted?
- Do the Professional Skills certificates require the same program application?
- Where and at what times do BAK courses meet?
- What uniforms, tools, and material fees apply to baking students?
- Can noncredit courses later be converted to credit?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Riverside City College before applying.