Santa Barbara City College packages its baking courses as a Skills Competency Award, the shortest type of award the college grants. The Baking and Pastry award in the 2026–27 catalog lists four 2-unit courses, 8 units in all, taught through the School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management on the main campus at 721 Cliff Drive.
Two details are worth knowing early. The catalog says a Skills Competency Award is granted by the college, is not state-approved, and does not appear on the official transcript. And the final course, Advanced Pastry Arts, has a prerequisite that is not on the award’s own course list, so most students will complete 10 units to earn it.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Santa Barbara City College |
| Location | Santa Barbara, California; main campus at 721 Cliff Drive |
| Credential | Baking and Pastry, Skills Competency Award (locally approved; not on the transcript) |
| Total units | 8 listed; 10 with the Pastry Practicum prerequisite |
| Typical length | Not published; the prerequisite chain spans three semesters |
| Entry | Fall or spring, after joining the Culinary Arts cohort |
| Program area | School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The award is listed with the department’s certificates and degrees in the Culinary Arts and Hotel Management section of the catalog. It is the only credential there with baking or pastry in its title.
Baking and Pastry Skills Competency Award
The Baking and Pastry Skills Competency Award requires Hospitality Sanitation and Safety, Principles of Baking, Advanced Artisan Baking, and Advanced Pastry Arts. Each course must be passed with a C or higher or a P, and at least 20% of the requirements must be completed at SBCC.
Continuing Into the Culinary Arts Certificates
Students who want a state-approved credential can continue in the same department. The 14-unit Culinary Arts: Fundamentals Certificate of Achievement includes the sanitation course and Principles of Baking. The 36-unit Culinary Arts: Professional Certificate of Achievement adds Pastry Practicum as a requirement and accepts Advanced Artisan Baking and Advanced Pastry Arts as electives. An Associate of Science in Culinary Arts: Professional is also offered.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Course details below come from the 2026–27 catalog:
- Hospitality Sanitation and Safety (2 units): 36 lecture hours on sanitation law, management responsibility, and safety practices
- Principles of Baking (2 units): 18 lecture and 54 lab hours on the basic skills of a professional bake shop, with pastries and breads
- Advanced Artisan Baking (2 units): flours, grains, yeasts, sponges, and levains, with European breads, sourdoughs, Danish and croissant doughs, and flat breads
- Advanced Pastry Arts (2 units): classical and modern cakes, pastries, meringues, chocolates, and sauces, with plate design
- Pastry Practicum (2 units, prerequisite only): 108 lab hours of hands-on work in a professional bake shop
Principles of Baking needs the sanitation course first or at the same time. Advanced Artisan Baking and Pastry Practicum both require Principles of Baking, and Advanced Pastry Arts requires Pastry Practicum. That order means at least three semesters unless courses run in shorter sessions. The college says students train in its cafeteria, Gourmet Dining Room, and coffee shop operations.
Tuition and Additional Costs
SBCC’s current fees page lists Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 rates. California residents pay an enrollment fee of $46 per unit. Non-residents pay that fee plus $381 per unit in tuition and a $22 capital outlay fee, or $449 per unit. Each semester adds a $28 health fee, a $2 student representation fee, and a mandatory bus pass fee of $31 for students in fewer than 6 units ($32 at 6 or more).
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Skills Competency Award (three semesters assumed) | 8 | $551 | $3,775 |
Each figure is 8 units at the per-unit rate plus $61 in semester fees for three part-time semesters. SBCC publishes no term plan for the award, so three semesters is an assumption based on the prerequisite order. Pastry Practicum would add $92 for residents or $898 for non-residents. Estimates are before financial aid and exclude the $8 Student Activity Pass, parking, books, and living costs.
Kitchen students also buy their own gear. The department’s 2026–27 Culinary Arts brochure requires a chef’s uniform from the first day of lab classes and a knife kit. Baking classes need a separate kit: a digital thermometer, a digital scale, measuring spoons, a paring knife, two pastry tips, an offset cake spatula, and a small tool box. The brochure names the SBCC Campus Store as a source and gives no prices.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Admission starts with the college’s online application. Culinary classes then have one extra step. The brochure says students must read the program requirements and ask to be placed in the Culinary cohort before enrolling in any Culinary Arts course, and the catalog lists program enrollment as a limitation on Principles of Baking. Students may join in fall or spring.
The fees page says California residents who need help with the enrollment fee may qualify for the California College Promise Grant and should apply through the Financial Aid Office before enrolling. Because Skills Competency Awards are not state-approved, ask that office whether aid applies if this award is your only goal. The department page mentions scholarships of $50 to $1,500 awarded each semester.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The award’s outcomes are practical: proper sanitation, safe use of ovens and mixers, the 12 steps of bread making, yeast dough products, and classical and modern pastries. The 2026–27 catalog states that the School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management program is certified by the American Culinary Federation. The department’s own web page does not repeat that statement, so confirm the current status and which credentials it covers.
All four award courses and Pastry Practicum are marked CSU transferable.
Who May Find This Award a Good Fit?
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Add bread and pastry skills without a full culinary program | Four baking-focused courses and one prerequisite, 2 units each |
| Study part-time | The sequence works at one or two courses a semester |
| Earn a state-approved credential later | The same courses feed the Culinary Arts certificates of achievement |
| Have a credential on the transcript | Not a match; the award is not recorded there |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- How do I join the Culinary cohort, and how early should I ask before registration opens?
- In which semesters are Advanced Artisan Baking, Pastry Practicum, and Advanced Pastry Arts scheduled?
- Is Pastry Practicum always required before Advanced Pastry Arts?
- What do the uniform, knife kit, and baking kit cost at the Campus Store this year?
- Is the program’s American Culinary Federation status current, and does it cover this award?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Santa Barbara City College before applying.