Scottsdale Community College (SCC) is the only Maricopa district college with a baking degree. Its 60-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS sits alongside the 18–20 credit Commercial Baking and Pastry Certificate of Completion (CCL), and the college describes both as evening pathways that can be followed full time or part time.
Baking labs meet in the culinary kitchen in the Applied Sciences Building, part of what SCC calls a 10,000-square-foot kitchen. In the 2026–27 class schedule, every baking lab ran from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. on two weeknights in eight-week blocks.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Scottsdale Community College (Maricopa County Community College District) |
| Location | Scottsdale, Arizona; culinary kitchen in the Applied Sciences Building |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (3219); Commercial Baking and Pastry CCL (5788) |
| Credits | 60; or 18–20 credits |
| Length | 4 terms for the AAS and 2 terms for the CCL on the full-time pathway maps |
| Format | Evening labs on campus; sanitation and Bakery Operations were listed online in 2026–27 |
| Before enrolling | Culinary Program Application; Maricopa County food handler card |
| Minimum grade | C or better in every program course |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
SCC announced the two programs together in June 2026 as stackable options. The certificate’s baking courses all sit inside the degree.
Baking and Pastry Arts AAS
The Baking and Pastry Arts AAS requires 60 credits. The district’s 2026–27 curriculum record lists 25–29 credits of required courses, 22–28 credits of general education, and 3–13 credits of restricted electives drawn from entrepreneurial studies, management, and small business courses. That elective block gives the degree a business slant, matching the catalog’s reference to the basic operation of a retail bakery.
Unlike the certificate, the degree requires both Advanced Pastry Arts and Specialty Cakes, and it adds Food Costing, Purchasing and Inventory Control. The catalog states that formal application and acceptance into the program is required.
Commercial Baking and Pastry Certificate of Completion
The Commercial Baking and Pastry CCL totals 18–20 credits with no general education. Its curriculum record describes preparation for entry-level positions, with a focus on classic and modern desserts, artisan and specialty breads, breakfast pastries, showpieces, and special occasion cakes. The range reflects the 2-credit sanitation course, which students holding a ServSafe food protection manager certification can skip.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Both credentials are built on the same set of culinary (CUL) courses:
- Commercial Baking Techniques: breads, cakes, pies, pastry, cookies, fillings, and icings
- Food Service Sanitation (2 credits), or ServSafe food protection manager certification
- Bakery Operations: product lines, menu development, pricing, and marketing for a bakery
- Classical Desserts: tarts, puff pastry, Bavarian creams, mousses, custards, and soufflés
- Specialty Breads and Breakfast Pastry: artisan breads, laminated doughs, Danish, croissant, and brioche
- Advanced Pastry Arts: sugar work, tempered and modeling chocolate, and a three-tier wedding cake
- Specialty Cakes: design, baking, icing, and finishing of special occasion cakes
- Professional Pastry Techniques: frozen desserts, multi-component cakes, individual pastries, and chocolates
- Food Costing, Purchasing and Inventory Control (AAS only)
Certificate students choose either Advanced Pastry Arts or Specialty Cakes, and may substitute Food Service Management for Bakery Operations, though SCC notes that it does not currently offer that course. Commercial Baking Techniques with a C or better is the prerequisite for the later labs. In the 2026–27 schedule, Professional Pastry Techniques appeared in fall only and Specialty Cakes in spring only, while Commercial Baking Techniques ran four times across the year.
Tuition and Additional Costs
SCC’s schedule effective July 1, 2026 charges $97 per credit for Maricopa County residents. Residents of other Arizona counties, except Apache and Greenlee, receive the same rate through reciprocal agreements, so it serves as the in-state rate below. Out-of-state students pay $372 per credit. A $15 registration fee applies each semester, and tuition is not capped for full-time loads. Using the terms in the pathway maps:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (4 terms) | 60 | $5,880 | $22,380 |
| Commercial Baking and Pastry CCL (2 terms) | 20 | $1,970 | $7,470 |
Each total is credits multiplied by the per-credit rate, plus one registration fee per term. With ServSafe certification in hand, the certificate drops to 18 credits, or $1,776 in-state and $6,726 out-of-state. Part-time students will pay the $15 fee in more semesters.
Course fees are extra and significant. Every baking lab in the 2026–27 schedule carried a $300 CUL course fee, which adds $1,500 across the certificate’s five labs and $1,800 across the degree’s six. The online sanitation and Bakery Operations sections showed no course fee. Uniforms are required and ordered through the SCC bookstore, and students should also budget for tools, books, and the food handler card. See the tuition and fees page for current rates.
Admissions and Financial Aid
The culinary program page asks prospective students to submit the Culinary Program Application, after which a department representative makes contact about planning and enrollment. The form lists Commercial Baking and Pastry as a part-time evening option with fall or spring starts. SCC states that an interview is required for its separate Culinary Arts Block Program; it does not list one for the baking pathways.
For the certificate, the catalog requires a meeting with an academic or career advisor and placement into college-ready English, reading, and math, or equivalent coursework. For the degree, it requires formal application and acceptance. Both call for a Maricopa County food handler card before required courses begin. Program notes add that upper-level classes need emailed permission from the program director.
SCC does not publish a statement on whether the certificate alone qualifies for federal aid. The financial aid office can confirm eligibility for each credential.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
SCC’s announcement names baker, restaurant cook, first-line food service supervisor, and food service manager as roles the degree prepares for, while the certificate targets entry-level food service positions. The culinary program also operates the Artichoke Grill, a student-run restaurant open to the public.
On accreditation, SCC states that its AAS in Culinary Arts is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation’s Accrediting Commission. It does not make that statement for the baking degree or certificate. For further study, the college says both baking programs align with its Bridge to Bachelor’s program and the SCC Bachelor of Business Administration in Management.
Which SCC Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS | A full degree with both advanced pastry courses, food costing, general education, and business electives |
| Commercial Baking and Pastry CCL | Evening baking labs only, with no general education, and a shorter route to entry-level work |
| CCL first, then AAS | A credential early on, with the same baking courses counting toward the degree later |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- What does formal application and acceptance involve for the AAS, and is there a limit on places?
- Which evenings will I need to be on campus in my first two eight-week blocks?
- Since Professional Pastry Techniques ran only in fall and Specialty Cakes only in spring, which start term finishes fastest?
- Are the $300 lab course fees covered by financial aid, and is the certificate aid-eligible by itself?
- What do the required uniforms and tools cost at the bookstore?
- Which business electives best support the Bachelor of Business Administration pathway?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Scottsdale Community College before applying.