Cypress College schedules its baking courses in a hybrid format. Each kitchen course meets one day a week for a short lecture and a long lab, and the rest of the lecture is delivered online through Canvas. Those classes do not meet on the main campus in Cypress. The Hotel, Restaurant, Culinary Arts department is based at the college’s Anaheim Campus at 1830 W. Romneya Drive.
The 2026–27 catalog lists three baking credentials: a 17-unit Baking Fundamentals Certificate, a 39.5-unit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate, and a Baking and Pastry Arts Associate in Science degree of at least 60 units. All three are built on the same three baking courses, which must be taken in order.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Cypress College (North Orange County Community College District) |
| Location | Anaheim, California; baking classes meet at the Anaheim Campus, 1830 W. Romneya Drive. The main campus is in Cypress. |
| Credentials | Baking Fundamentals Certificate; Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate; Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. |
| Units | 17, 39.5, or a minimum of 60 units |
| Format | Hybrid: weekly lecture and kitchen lab in Anaheim, with part of the lecture online |
| Length | Three semesters (Baking Fundamentals, per the catalog); 1 to 1.5 years (certificate) and two years (A.S.), per the program page |
| Financial aid | All three are marked Financial Aid Eligible in the catalog |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The three options appear on the college’s Baking and Pastry Arts program page. That page is inconsistent on unit totals, listing 15 and 36 units for the certificates in one section and 17 and 39.5 in another. The figures below follow the 2026–27 catalog.
Baking Fundamentals Certificate
The Baking Fundamentals Certificate requires six courses and 17 units: Introduction to Hospitality Management, Sanitation and Safety, Culinary Fundamentals I, Baking Fundamentals I, Baking Fundamentals II, and Pastry Arts. The catalog calls it a three-semester certificate, and each course needs a grade of C or better.
Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate
The Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate adds seven courses to those six for a total of 39.5 units: Nutrition, The Art of Garde Manger, Menu Planning and Purchasing, Cost Control in Hospitality, Event Management, Hospitality Capstone, and a 4.5-unit cuisine course (American Regional Cuisine or World Cuisine). The program page estimates 1 to 1.5 years.
Baking and Pastry Arts Associate in Science
The Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. uses the same 39.5-unit major as the certificate. Students add Cypress College’s local general education pattern or Cal-GETC, plus electives, to reach at least 60 units. The program page lists two years.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Each of the three baking courses is 3 units, with 36 lecture hours and 72 lab hours. Core courses include:
- Baking Fundamentals I: bakeshop ingredients, equipment, and sanitation, with cookies, quick breads, cakes, pies, savory items, specialty diet products, and yeast breads
- Baking Fundamentals II: classical cakes and tortes, frozen desserts, artisan breads, and Viennoiserie
- Pastry Arts: macarons, petit fours, specialty cakes, chocolates, confections, and restaurant-style plated desserts
- Sanitation and Safety and Culinary Fundamentals I: food safety with ServSafe Manager exam preparation, and basic cooking methods
- Certificate and A.S. only: garde manger, a regional or world cuisine lab, nutrition, menu planning, cost control, event management, and a career capstone
Baking Fundamentals II requires a B or better in Baking Fundamentals I, and Pastry Arts requires a C or better in Baking Fundamentals II. In the Fall 2026 and Winter/Spring 2027 class schedules, every section of the three baking courses is coded hybrid and meets at the Anaheim Campus. Baking Fundamentals I runs the full semester with a 50-minute lecture and a lab of about four hours, in a daytime or an evening section. Baking Fundamentals II and Pastry Arts are 12-week courses that meet one weekday from 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. Delivery can change by term.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The college’s enrollment fees page lists an enrollment fee of $46 per unit for California residents. Non-residents pay that fee plus $396 per unit in tuition and a $25 capital outlay fee, or $467 per unit in all. Each semester also carries a $28 health fee, a $2.50 campus photo ID fee, a $2 student representation fee, and a transportation fee of $3.76 for full-time students or $2.76 for part-time students.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking Fundamentals Certificate (three semesters, part-time) | 17 | $888 | $8,045 |
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate (three semesters assumed) | 39.5 | $1,926 | $18,555 |
| Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. (four semesters assumed) | 60 | $2,905 | $28,165 |
Each estimate multiplies units by the per-unit rate and adds the per-semester fees. Three semesters for Baking Fundamentals comes from the catalog. Cypress publishes no term-by-term plan for the other two, so the estimates assume three full-time semesters for the 39.5-unit certificate and four for the A.S. Figures are before financial aid and exclude the $13 Associated Student Benefits fee, parking, books, uniforms, tools, and living costs.
Material fees are a separate cost. The catalog lists $95 each for Culinary Fundamentals I, Baking Fundamentals I, and Baking Fundamentals II and $120 for Pastry Arts, or $405 across the Baking Fundamentals Certificate. Garde manger ($120) and the cuisine course ($95) bring the longer certificate and the A.S. to $620. The Fall 2026 and Winter/Spring 2027 schedules state that material fees have been waived for these courses for the semester.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Cypress College is an open-access college, and its baking program page says there are no additional requirements to enroll beyond course prerequisites. New students start through CCCStart, the state’s community college entry system, and select Cypress College. Students 18 and older must verify their identity. Orientation, a counseling appointment, and registration through myGateway follow.
The catalog marks all three baking credentials as Financial Aid Eligible. According to the college’s financial aid pages, the California College Promise Grant waives the enrollment fee for qualifying California residents at any unit load. It does not cover the health fee, material fees, parking, or the student ID fee.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The catalog ties the Baking Fundamentals Certificate to work as a baker or pastry cook. The program page names Disneyland Resort, Hyatt Hotels, and Blackmarket Bakery among the places its students have worked. The department also runs Cypress Bistro, a student-run restaurant at the Anaheim Campus that serves a three-course Thursday lunch by reservation. American Regional Cuisine students cook there, and that course is one of the two cuisine options in the longer certificate and the A.S.
The three baking courses are listed as transferable to the California State University system. The catalog cautions that major courses at Cypress may differ from those required at a bachelor’s-granting school, and it directs students to a counselor or the Transfer Center.
Which Cypress College Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking Fundamentals Certificate | The three-course baking sequence plus sanitation, basic cooking, and a hospitality overview, at one or two courses a term |
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate | The same baking courses with garde manger, a cuisine lab, and menu, cost, and event management, without general education |
| Baking and Pastry Arts A.S. | The full certificate coursework plus general education for an associate degree and a possible CSU transfer path |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which days and times will the baking labs meet in the term I plan to start, and is an evening section of Baking Fundamentals I offered?
- Will material fees be waived again, or should I budget the catalog amounts?
- What uniform, knife, and tool purchases are required for the Anaheim Campus kitchens?
- Is the program accredited by the American Culinary Federation? The program page does not name a programmatic accreditor.
- Which non-resident rates apply this year? The enrollment fees page is not labeled by year.
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Cypress College before applying.
Related Programs
Compare other online and hybrid baking programs.