Grossmont College in El Cajon builds its pastry training around service. In Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts, students plan and execute dessert menus for the weekly campus restaurant, and in Commercial Baking they produce petit fours, breads, and plated desserts for a weekly on-campus banquet. Separate 3-unit courses then cover bread, chocolate, sugar work, and cake decorating.
The 2026–27 catalog lists three pastry credentials: a 13-unit Pastry Cook Certificate of Achievement, a 42-unit Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement, and a Pastry Arts Associate in Science that adds general education to the same 42-unit major. The college’s own website still calls the longer certificate “Baking and Pastry,” so students may see both names.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Grossmont College (Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District) |
| Location | El Cajon, California; 8800 Grossmont College Drive |
| Credentials | Pastry Cook Certificate of Achievement; Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement; Pastry Arts A.S. |
| Units | 13, 42, or a minimum of 60 units |
| Format | Campus-based; each kitchen course is 2 hours of lecture and 3 hours of lab a week |
| Length | Pastry Cook courses can be completed in one or two semesters, per the catalog; no term plan is published for the other two |
| Work experience | Two 108-hour externships in the Pastry Arts certificate and A.S. |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
All three awards sit in the Culinary Arts department, and the college lists them on its Culinary Arts degrees and certificates page. Every required course must be passed with a C or higher, or Pass. The names and unit totals below follow the 2026–27 catalog.
Pastry Cook Certificate of Achievement
The Pastry Cook Certificate of Achievement requires five courses and 13 units: Sanitation for Food Service, Essential Skills for Culinary Arts, Principles of Baking and Pastry Making, Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts, and Commercial Baking. The catalog aims it at people with little or no kitchen experience who want an entry-level pastry cook job in a bakery or pastry department.
Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement
The Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement is the 42-unit major on its own. It contains all five Pastry Cook courses, then adds four pastry specialty courses, three savory kitchen courses, a career preparation course, two work experience courses, and one 3-unit elective.
Pastry Arts Associate in Science
The Pastry Arts A.S. uses the same 42-unit major plus general education and electives. The catalog’s degree requirements set a minimum of 60 degree-applicable units for an associate degree, which leaves at least 18 units outside the major.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The Culinary Arts course list describes each kitchen course as 3 units. Baking and pastry coursework includes:
- Principles of Baking and Pastry Making: fundamental techniques, ingredients, equipment, recipe analysis, and consistency of product
- Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts: seasonal plated desserts, petit fours, and yeast breads, with dessert menus for the campus restaurant
- Commercial Baking: production standards and a seasonal commercial dessert menu for weekly banquet service
- Pastry Skills in Bread Baking: artisan breads, grains, pre-ferments, shaping, quick breads, and crackers
- Pastry Skills in Chocolate Preparation: bean-to-bar theory, tempering, ganache-filled candies, and airbrushed cocoa butter
- Sugar Work, Petit Fours, and Specialty Pastries: sugar decorations, laminated doughs, tarts, and entremets
- Pastry Skills in Cake Decorating: mixing methods, filled cakes, tortes, glazes, and icings
Principles of Baking and Pastry Making is the gateway. It can be taken alongside the 1-unit sanitation course, and every later pastry course requires both. That sequence means the Pastry Cook certificate needs at least two semesters for a student starting from scratch. The 42-unit major also includes Intermediate Culinary Skills, Banquet Service Production, Advanced Food Preparation for Fine Dining, and two externships of 108 paid or unpaid hours each.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The 2026–27 catalog’s registration fee table lists an enrollment fee of $46 per unit. Non-resident and international students pay that fee plus $377 per unit, or $423 per unit in all. A mandatory health fee of $28 applies each fall and spring semester.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Cook Certificate of Achievement (two semesters) | 13 | $654 | $5,555 |
| Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement (three semesters assumed) | 42 | $2,016 | $17,850 |
| Pastry Arts A.S. (four semesters assumed) | 60 | $2,872 | $25,492 |
Each estimate multiplies units by the per-unit rate and adds the $28 health fee for each semester. Two semesters for Pastry Cook reflects the prerequisite sequence. Grossmont publishes no term-by-term plan for the other two awards, so the estimates assume three full-time semesters for the 42-unit certificate and four for the A.S. Figures are before financial aid. They leave out the optional $2 student representation fee, the $12 student benefit sticker, the $40 semester parking permit, books, and living costs.
Supplies are a separate cost. The Culinary Arts program page gives approximate prices of $50–$75 for a uniform, $30–$150 for slip-resistant black kitchen shoes, $150–$250 for a knife and tool set ordered through the program’s vendor, and $100 or more per textbook. A textbook is required for Essential Skills and for Principles of Baking and Pastry.
Admissions and Financial Aid
The catalog’s admission steps are to apply online through a CCCMyPath account, apply for financial aid, log in to Self-Service, and build a first-semester education plan, either self-guided or with a counselor. The program page adds that some courses may need a prerequisite or documentation such as age verification, so it is worth reading before registering.
Grossmont’s California College Promise Grant page says the grant waives the $46 per-unit enrollment fee for qualifying students and does not cover other student fees. The catalog pages for these awards do not state whether the 13-unit Pastry Cook certificate qualifies for federal aid on its own, so ask the Financial Aid Office.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Baker, cake decorator, and pastry chef appear in the catalog’s career list for Pastry Arts, alongside catering and kitchen management roles. Work readiness is built into the longer awards through Culinary Career Preparation, which covers resumes, an online portfolio, and interviews, and through the two externships at professional food service operations.
Most culinary courses carry the catalog’s CSU transfer notation. The Pastry Arts A.S. is a career degree, not an associate degree for transfer, so students planning on a bachelor’s degree should review a transfer plan with a counselor early.
Which Grossmont College Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Pastry Cook Certificate of Achievement | Five courses that cover sanitation, basic cooking skills, and three baking courses tied to campus restaurant and banquet service |
| Pastry Arts Certificate of Achievement | Dedicated courses in bread, chocolate, sugar work, and cake decorating, plus savory kitchen training and two externships, without general education |
| Pastry Arts A.S. | The full 42-unit major with general education for an associate degree |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which pastry specialty courses are offered each semester, and are any scheduled in the evening?
- How many semesters does the 42-unit Pastry Arts certificate usually take with the externships included?
- Is the Pastry Cook certificate eligible for federal financial aid by itself?
- Does the program arrange externship sites, or do students find their own?
- Is the program accredited by the American Culinary Federation? The catalog does not name a programmatic accreditor.
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Grossmont College before applying.