Los Angeles Mission College stacks its baking awards so that each one builds on the last. Two 12-unit Skills Certificates, Baking Specialist I and II, lead into a 30-unit Certificate of Achievement in Professional Baking and Patisserie, and an Associate of Arts adds bread, Viennoiserie, chocolate, and cake courses on top.
Classes meet at the Culinary Arts Institute on the Sylmar campus at 13356 Eldridge Avenue. The college describes the building as an 85,000-square-foot facility opened in 2011, with a separate Bake Shop and Pastry Shop among its eight kitchen labs.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Los Angeles Mission College (Los Angeles Community College District) |
| Location | Sylmar, California; Culinary Arts Institute, 13356 Eldridge Avenue |
| Credentials | Baking Specialist I and II Skills Certificates; Professional Baking and Patisserie Certificate of Achievement; Professional Baking and Patisserie A.A. |
| Units | 12, 12, 30, and 44 major units within a degree of at least 60 |
| Format | Campus-based lecture and kitchen lab |
| Length | Three terms (Certificate of Achievement) and four terms (A.A.) on the college program maps |
| Work experience | Two 2-unit courses: an internship in college food operations and an off-campus externship |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Requirements below follow the 2026–27 catalog. The college’s Culinary Arts Pathway page links each award to a program map.
Baking Specialist I and II Skills Certificates
Skills Certificates are local awards of 15 or fewer units. The catalog says they do not appear on the transcript and must be requested by petition. Baking Specialist I (12 units) covers Sanitation and Safety, Culinary Arts Orientation and Techniques, Culinary Nutrition, and Principles of Baking and Patisserie I. Baking Specialist II (12 units) covers Principles of Garde Manger and Basic Baking, Restaurant Supervision and Training, Work Experience I, and Principles of Baking and Patisserie II.
Professional Baking and Patisserie Certificate of Achievement
The state-approved Certificate of Achievement totals 30 units: the eight courses in the two Skills Certificates plus Restaurant Plated Desserts and Work Experience II. The program map spreads them over three terms of 12, 12, and 6 units.
Professional Baking and Patisserie Associate of Arts
The A.A. has a 44-unit major. It drops the garde manger course and adds Purchasing and Receiving, Artisanal Breads, Viennoiserie I, Specialty Cakes, and Chocolate, Confections, Decor and Showpieces. The catalog requires at least 60 units for the degree. The college’s four-term program map, which adds its general education plan, totals 71 to 72 units.
The catalog also lists a noncredit Certificate of Completion in Culinary and Baking Essentials (90 hours). Its four required courses cover banquet service, service skills, kitchen stewarding, and cooking techniques, so it is not a baking credential in practice.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The Professional Baking courses carry the PROFBKG prefix and combine lecture with six lab hours a week. Core courses include:
- Principles of Baking and Patisserie I (4 units): quick breads, cookies, and laminated doughs such as puff pastry, with mixing methods and leavening
- Principles of Baking and Patisserie II (4 units): yeast breads, cakes, pies, and Danish doughs, with ingredient yields and baker’s percentages
- Restaurant Plated Desserts (4 units): hot, cold, and frozen desserts composed in restaurant style
- A.A. only: Artisanal Breads, Specialty Breads (6 units), Viennoiserie I, Specialty Cakes, and Chocolate, Confections, Decor and Showpieces (3 units each)
- Shared culinary courses: sanitation, culinary orientation and techniques, nutrition, supervision, and two work experience courses
The baking courses run in a chain. Patisserie I has Culinary Arts Orientation and Techniques as a corequisite, Patisserie II requires Patisserie I, and Plated Desserts requires Patisserie II. In the A.A., Specialty Cakes follows Plated Desserts and Viennoiserie follows Artisanal Breads. The sanitation course description says the Food Handler’s Card is mandatory, while the Food Protection Manager Certification is available through the exam but not required.
Tuition and Additional Costs
The college’s student fees page, labeled effective Fall 2026, lists an enrollment fee of $46 per unit for residents. Out-of-state students pay that fee plus $397 per unit in non-resident tuition, or $443 per unit. Each fall and spring semester also carries a $19 health fee and a $2 student representation fee.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking Specialist I Skills Certificate (one term) | 12 | $573 | $5,337 |
| Baking Specialist II Skills Certificate (one term) | 12 | $573 | $5,337 |
| Professional Baking and Patisserie Certificate of Achievement (three terms) | 30 | $1,443 | $13,353 |
| Professional Baking and Patisserie A.A. (four terms) | 71 | $3,350 | $31,537 |
Each estimate multiplies units by the per-unit rate and adds $21 in fees per semester. Term counts come from the program maps, which are dated to the 2025–26 catalog year; each Skills Certificate matches one term of the certificate map. The A.A. is priced at the 71 units on its map because the college publishes that plan, although the catalog minimum is 60. Figures are before aid and exclude the optional $10 Associated Student Organization fee, parking ($20 in fall), books, uniforms, tools, and living costs.
The catalog and the culinary pages do not publish prices for uniforms, knife kits, or baking tools, and no materials fees are listed for the baking courses.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Admission is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and to others 18 or older who meet the catalog’s added criteria. New students apply online and complete the district’s identity authentication step; the college says to allow two to three business days for processing. Culinary courses then open through registration, subject to prerequisites. The college posts its semester dates.
According to the catalog, California residents enrolled in at least one unit can apply for the California College Promise Grant, which covers the enrollment fee. The catalog does not label individual programs as aid-eligible. Because Skills Certificates are short local awards, ask the Financial Aid Office whether federal aid applies if you plan to stop after one of them.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The Certificate of Achievement is aimed at entry-level work in bakeries, pastry shops, hotels, and fine dining restaurants. The catalog names positions such as baking prep cook, pastry cook, and lead baker, and junior baker or assistant cake decorator for Baking Specialist I. Work Experience I places students in the college’s own food operations, including the Mission Cafe and catering. Work Experience II is a supervised externship with a partner restaurant, hotel, or food service business.
The Professional Baking courses are marked CSU-transferable in the catalog. Major courses must each be passed with a C or better, and the catalog directs students to a counselor for transfer planning.
Which LAMC Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking Specialist I Skills Certificate | A one-term start: sanitation, basic cooking techniques, nutrition, and the first patisserie course |
| Baking Specialist II Skills Certificate | A second 12-unit step with Patisserie II, garde manger and basic baking, supervision, and an on-campus internship |
| Certificate of Achievement | A transcripted 30-unit credential that adds plated desserts and an off-campus externship |
| Associate of Arts | Advanced bread, Viennoiserie, cake, and chocolate courses plus general education |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which unit totals are current? The catalog lists Baking Specialist II at 12 units, while a culinary department page shows 28.
- How many units will my A.A. plan actually require, between the 60-unit minimum and the 71 to 72 on the program map?
- What do uniforms, knives, and baking tools cost?
- Are the Skills Certificates eligible for federal financial aid on their own?
- In which terms are Artisanal Breads, Viennoiserie I, and Specialty Cakes scheduled?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Los Angeles Mission College before applying.