Lemoore College, formerly West Hills College Lemoore, is a public community college at 555 College Avenue in Lemoore, in Kings County south of Fresno. It is part of the West Hills Community College District. Its 2026–27 catalog lists one baking credential: the Pastry and Baking Arts Certificate of Achievement, a 23-unit, state-approved certificate that the college maps across a fall and a spring semester.
What sets this certificate apart is how much of it sits outside the bakeshop. Only two of its eight courses are baking labs. The rest are a foods lab, sanitation, a work experience course, and three hospitality courses in management, cost control, and food history. California residents pay about $1,062 in enrollment and student fees before aid.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School type | Public community college (West Hills Community College District) |
| Location | 555 College Avenue, Lemoore, California |
| Baking credential | Pastry and Baking Arts Certificate of Achievement |
| Units | 23 |
| Published length | Two semesters (11 units in fall, 12 in spring) |
| Baking lab courses | Introduction to Commercial Baking; Advanced Bakeshop and Desserts |
| Work experience | 3 units of Occupational Work Experience Education |
| Resident enrollment fee | $46 per unit |
| Non-resident cost | $432 per unit including the enrollment fee (2026–27 cost of attendance page) |
| ACF programmatic accreditation | Not stated by the college |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Lemoore College offers a single baking award. Its other culinary certificates, Introduction to Culinary Arts, Advanced Culinary Arts, and Chef Apprentice, are cooking credentials and are mentioned here only as related options.
Pastry and Baking Arts Certificate of Achievement (23 Units)
The 2026–27 catalog describes the certificate as an introduction to the practical and theoretical techniques of pastry and bakery arts, covering basic and advanced fundamentals through hands-on laboratory exercises. The college’s program page names bakeries, restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses as likely workplaces.
The recommended sequence is the same in the catalog and on the program map. In the fall, students take Principles of Food with Lab, Sanitation and Safety, Introduction to Commercial Baking, and Introduction to Hospitality Management, for 11 units. In the spring, they take Advanced Bakeshop and Desserts, Hospitality Cost Control, Occupational Work Experience Education, and Global Epicurean History, for 12 units. The program map shows one possible path, and a counselor can build an individual plan. Neither source describes the certificate as hybrid or online; check the class schedule for meeting days and times.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
All eight courses are required:
- CUL 052 Introduction to Commercial Baking (3 units): bakery tools and equipment, terms, mixing methods, pastries, cookies, cakes, custards and creams, and specialty items
- CUL 064 Advanced Bakeshop and Desserts (3 units): artisan boulangerie and classical and contemporary pastries and desserts, with study of bakeshop equipment, supplies, and techniques
- CUL 001 Principles of Food with Lab (3 units)
- CUL 003 Sanitation and Safety (2 units)
- HRCM 001 Introduction to Hospitality Management (3 units)
- HRCM 012 Hospitality Cost Control (3 units)
- HRCM 060 Global Epicurean History (3 units)
- HRCM 015X Occupational Work Experience Education (3 units)
The catalog’s program outcomes include converting standardized recipes, demonstrating proper sanitation, applying basic nutrition principles, and understanding customer service and legal topics in the industry. The catalog also lists CUL 053 Advanced Commercial Baking, which is not part of the certificate. With six units of baking labs, the certificate gives a foundation; its course descriptions do not mention chocolate, sugar work, or wedding cakes.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The college’s cost of attendance page for 2026–27 lists the statewide $46 per unit enrollment fee for California residents and $386 per unit in non-resident tuition, for $432 per unit including the enrollment fee. The catalog’s student fees page adds a $2 student representation fee each semester and lists parking at no charge. The estimate uses the published two-semester plan.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry and Baking Arts Certificate of Achievement | 23 | $1,062 | $9,940 |
Method: 23 units times the per-unit rate, plus the $2 student representation fee for two semesters. The estimate leaves out the optional $10 per semester Associated Student Body activity fee, books, uniforms, and tools. The catalog says some courses charge materials fees for items students keep, but it does not publish amounts for the baking courses, and the college lists no kit or uniform price. All figures are before financial aid.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Admission requires one of the following: high school graduation, a high school equivalency such as the GED, or being at least 18. The college’s admissions page directs new students to the free CCCApply application, and the catalog lists no separate application or entrance requirement for the baking certificate.
The college states that the California College Promise Grant waives enrollment fees for eligible California residents, and that most of its students qualify for free tuition through financial aid. Federal Pell Grants, Cal Grants, and other aid are applied for through the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application. Lemoore also describes a President’s Scholars Program that covers tuition and book expenses for California high school graduates with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The work experience course gives the certificate an on-the-job component, and the hospitality courses add cost control and management content. The college’s program page lists pastry chef, bakery manager, chocolatier, and dessert specialist among possible careers; some of those roles take experience beyond a first certificate.
Lemoore has no baking degree. Students who want to keep going can look at the Advanced Culinary Arts certificate, the Hotel, Restaurant, and Casino Management A.A., or the Hospitality Management associate degree for transfer. Ask a counselor which of the 23 units would count toward each.
Who May Find This Certificate a Good Fit?
| Consideration | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Pastry and Baking Arts Certificate of Achievement | A two-semester credential that pairs two baking labs with sanitation, cost control, hospitality management, and work experience |
| Continuing at Lemoore | To move on to a culinary certificate or a hospitality management degree at the same college |
| A larger baking program elsewhere | More bakeshop hours, with separate courses in bread, cakes, chocolate, or plated desserts |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which days and times do the two baking labs meet, and are any courses offered online?
- Are both baking courses offered every year, and can I start in spring?
- What materials fees, uniforms, and tools are required for the baking courses?
- How is the work experience placement arranged, and can my current job count?
- Which certificate units apply to the hospitality management degrees?
- What is the current non-resident tuition rate?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Lemoore College before applying.