St. Louis Community College offers one baking credential, and it is a full degree: the 65-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS, taught in its entirety at the Forest Park campus in St. Louis. The pastry coursework is organized into two blocks of five courses that students are asked to take together in a single semester, and the degree ends with a capstone course built around the American Culinary Federation’s Certified Pastry Culinarian standards.
STLCC has no shorter baking certificate in its Fall 2026 catalog, so this is a two-year commitment for most full-time students. Information here comes from the Fall 2026 edition of the STLCC catalog and the college’s 2026–27 tuition page.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | St. Louis Community College (STLCC) |
| Location | St. Louis, Missouri; Forest Park campus |
| Credential | Baking and Pastry Arts, Associate in Applied Science |
| Total credits | 65 credit hours minimum |
| Typical length | Four semesters on the catalog’s full-time plan |
| Program accreditation | The college states ACFEF accreditation |
| Admission | General STLCC application; no separate program application listed |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The college describes the degree on its Baking and Pastry Arts program page. It sits beside separate Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management degrees.
Baking and Pastry Arts, AAS
The Baking and Pastry Arts AAS is made up of 18 credits of general education, 16 credits of hospitality program requirements, and 31 credits in the Baking and Pastry Arts option. The hospitality requirements cover safety and sanitation, food science, supervision, procurement, and cost control. General education includes composition, oral communication, applied mathematics, nutrition, sociology, and U.S. history.
The catalog’s full-time plan runs 16, 18, 19, and 12 credits across four semesters. Students complete Safety and Sanitation and Introduction to the Hospitality Industry in the first fall, which makes them eligible for lab classes, then take Pastry Block #1 in spring and Pastry Block #2 the following fall. The capstone falls in the final spring.
Related Option: Culinary Arts, AAS
Students who want savory cooking as their main focus can look at the Culinary Arts AAS, also 65 credits and also offered entirely at Forest Park. It is a separate degree, not a baking credential, though its students take a bakeshop basics course.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The Fall 2026 catalog lists these courses in the Baking and Pastry Arts option:
- Pastry Block #1 (3 credits each): Introduction to Baking Theory; Breads, Rolls, and Bakeries; Production Pastry Techniques; Cake Production and Decoration; and Culinary Essentials
- Pastry Block #2 (2 credits each): Artisan and Decorative Bread; Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts; Chocolate Candies and Showpieces; Plated Desserts; and Sugar Candies and Showpieces
- Artistic Concepts in Pastry (3 credits), covering drawing, design, and digital photography for pastry work
- Baking and Pastry Arts Capstone (3 credits), which prepares students for the Certified Pastry Culinarian examination
Within each block, the courses are chained: each one lists the previous course, passed with at least a C, as its prerequisite. Introduction to Baking Theory in turn requires an S grade in Safety and Sanitation and a C in Introduction to the Hospitality Industry. The catalog asks students to contact the program coordinator for course entry advisement before enrolling in a block.
Tuition and Additional Costs
STLCC’s tuition page lists Fall 2026 to Spring 2027 costs of $127 per credit hour in-district, $176 out-of-district, and $238 out-of-state. The college says its technology ($11), activity ($10), and service ($6) fees are built into those figures, and it charges no separate per-semester fee. In-district means St. Louis City, St. Louis County, or the parts of Franklin and Jefferson counties in the Meramec Valley R-III and Rockwood R-6 school districts. At 65 credits:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (4 semesters) | 65 | $8,255 | $11,440 | $15,470 |
These estimates cover the per-credit charge only. They do not include books, uniforms, tools, certification fees, transportation, or living costs. Developmental or repeated courses would add credits.
The tuition page’s course fee list does not show any charges for BAP or CUL courses, and the college does not publish uniform, knife, or pastry tool costs for this program on the pages reviewed. For a general planning figure, STLCC’s 2026–27 student budget estimates $2,000 for books, materials, supplies, and equipment over nine months.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Entry runs through the college’s general process on the Apply to STLCC page. Students complete a free online application, then have official high school transcripts or GED or HiSET scores sent, along with transcripts from any other colleges. ACT and SAT scores are optional. The catalog does not list a selective application for the baking degree, but nearly every course requires reading proficiency.
For paying, STLCC points students to scholarships, A+ program benefits, federal aid, and a semester payment plan. Associate degree students must also pass the Missouri civics examination unless they qualify for a waiver.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
STLCC states that the program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission. According to the catalog, graduates are eligible to apply to the ACF for Certified Pastry Culinarian certification. The program page also names the Retail Bakers of America Certified Journey Baker credential and the ServSafe Food Protection Manager certificate, and lists pastry chef, baker, and bakery manager as target roles in hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and resorts.
An AAS is a career degree, and the catalog does not list a bachelor’s transfer agreement for it. The general education courses carry Missouri MOTR numbers, which the catalog says transfer to any public institution in the state. It also tells students that verifying transfer of the remaining courses is their responsibility.
Who May Find This Degree a Good Fit?
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Earn a degree focused on pastry, not general cooking | 31 of the 65 credits are in the Baking and Pastry Arts option |
| Work toward an industry certification | The capstone is built around ACF Certified Pastry Culinarian standards |
| Learn the business side of a bakeshop | Procurement, cost control, and supervision courses are required |
| A short certificate | Not offered; the AAS is STLCC’s only baking credential |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- How are the five courses in each pastry block scheduled within the semester, and what are the lab days and hours?
- Can Pastry Block #1 be started in fall, or only in spring as the catalog plan shows?
- What uniforms, knives, and pastry tools are required, and what do they cost?
- Who pays the Certified Pastry Culinarian and Certified Journey Baker application fees, and is certification automatic or applied for after graduation?
- Is a part-time schedule possible given that block courses are taken together?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with St. Louis Community College before applying.