Georgia students can choose among two-semester baking certificates, a full baking and pastry diploma, and associate degrees built around pastry production. Every verified for-credit option is offered by a public college in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), from Savannah and Valdosta to the North Georgia mountains and metro Atlanta.
Program length ranges from 25 to 66 credits. Eight colleges offer the statewide Baking and Pastry Specialist certificate, and Savannah Technical College and Columbus Technical College also offer a 59-credit diploma and a 66-credit Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts.
Baking and Pastry Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Programs, Credits and Estimated Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Athens Technical College | Athens area | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 28 credits – about $3,818 |
| Columbus Technical College | Columbus | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 25 credits – about $3,517 Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Diploma: 59 credits – about $7,997 Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts AAS: 66 credits – about $9,167 |
| Gwinnett Technical College | Lawrenceville | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 28 credits – about $3,958 |
| Lanier Technical College | Gainesville | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 25 credits – about $3,830 |
| North Georgia Technical College | Toccoa | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 26 credits – about $3,614 |
| Ogeechee Technical College | Statesboro | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 26 credits – about $3,622 |
| Savannah Technical College | Savannah | Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Diploma: 59 credits – about $8,017 Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts AAS: 66 credits – about $9,192 |
| West Georgia Technical College | Douglasville, LaGrange, and Newnan | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 26 credits – about $3,624 |
| Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | Valdosta | Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate: 26 credits – about $3,748 |
The estimates use the TCSG in-state tuition rate of $107 per credit hour for 2026–27 plus each college’s published mandatory fees per semester. Where a college does not state the number of terms, the estimate assumes two semesters for a certificate, four for a diploma, and five for an AAS. The figures exclude housing, transportation, tools, uniforms, ingredients, textbooks, lab charges, health screenings, and other program-specific expenses.
Which Georgia Baking Program May Fit You?
Finish a Certificate in Two Semesters
Ogeechee, North Georgia, and Wiregrass each list a two-term plan for the 26-credit Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate.
Study on the Newest Statewide Curriculum
The 2026–27 catalogs at Ogeechee, North Georgia, West Georgia, and Wiregrass already include Baking Principles II in the certificate.
Start in Any Semester
Ogeechee and Lanier accept new certificate students each term.
Earn a Dedicated Pastry Diploma
Savannah Tech and Columbus Tech offer a 59-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Diploma with eight specialty baking and pastry courses.
Complete an Associate Degree in Pastry
Savannah Tech and Columbus Tech also offer a 66-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts AAS that adds general education to the full pastry sequence.
Stack From a Certificate to a Degree at One College
Columbus Tech is the only Georgia college offering all three baking credential levels: certificate, diploma, and associate degree.
Train in Metro Atlanta
Gwinnett Tech in Lawrenceville and West Georgia Tech in Douglasville are the two metro Atlanta campuses with a for-credit baking certificate.
Certificate, Diploma, or Associate Degree?
Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificates
A technical certificate of credit is the fastest and least expensive route into professional baking. Georgia’s versions require 25 to 28 credits and usually take two or three semesters. They cover core baking and pastry skills but include little general education and no specialty courses in chocolate, confections, or cake design.
Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Diplomas
A diploma adds a full specialty pastry sequence without the general education courses required for an associate degree. Savannah Tech and Columbus Tech each require 59 credits, including artisan breads, European cakes and tortes, plated desserts, confections, chocolate, and retail production.
Associate of Applied Science Degrees
The 66-credit AAS provides the broadest preparation but takes at least five terms. Applied degrees primarily prepare students for employment, so students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree should ask how individual courses will transfer.
Tuition and Additional Costs
All TCSG colleges charge the same tuition of $107 per credit hour for Georgia residents in 2026–27, and $214 per credit hour for out-of-state students. Mandatory fees are set by each college and range from about $385 to $483 per semester among the schools on this page. Baking students may also need to budget for:
- Chef uniforms and nonslip shoes
- Knife, pastry, or decorating kits
- Culinary lab and supply fees
- Textbooks or digital course materials
- Physical exams, TB testing, or hepatitis B vaccination
- ServSafe or other certification exam fees
- Transportation, housing, and living expenses
Georgia residents should also ask whether their program qualifies for the HOPE Grant, which can help cover tuition for eligible technical college certificate and diploma programs. Students should confirm residency classification and financial aid eligibility with the college before enrolling.
Kennesaw State’s Noncredit Baking and Pastry Certificate
Kennesaw State University’s College of Professional Education offers a noncredit Baking and Pastry Certificate in Kennesaw. The 29-week program meets two evenings a week and costs $9,995, including a ServSafe Manager exam voucher, textbooks, and a chef coat.
Because it is a continuing education certificate, it does not award academic credit and is not included in the main comparison. It may suit working adults who cannot attend daytime technical college classes. Review the KSU Baking and Pastry Certificate page for upcoming start dates.
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which version of the Baking and Pastry Specialist curriculum applies to my start term?
- At which campus will the baking lab courses meet?
- Which baking courses are offered each semester, and can I start in any term?
- What uniforms, kits, lab fees, and health screenings are required?
- Will certificate credits apply to a culinary or baking diploma or degree?
- Is the program eligible for the HOPE Grant or a Pell Grant?
- Does the program include an externship or connections with local bakeries?
Savannah Technical College
Savannah Technical College offers the most pastry-focused curriculum in the state. It has no short baking certificate. Instead, students choose between a 59-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Diploma, completed in a minimum of four terms, and a 66-credit Associate of Applied Science that takes a minimum of five terms.
After a culinary foundation in sanitation, cooking principles, baking principles, and culinary leadership, both credentials share a sequence of eight baking courses: baking science, European cakes and tortes, artisan baking, hot and cold plated desserts, cake design and decorating, confection artistry, chocolate artistry, and dessert and bread retail production. The AAS adds 15 credits of general education and a nutrition and sustainable practices course, so diploma coursework carries directly into the degree.
See the full Savannah Tech baking and pastry profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Columbus Technical College
Columbus Technical College is the only Georgia school with all three levels of baking credential: a 25-credit Baking and Pastry Specialist certificate, a 59-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Diploma, and a 66-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts AAS.
The diploma and degree follow the same specialty pastry sequence as Savannah Tech, including baking science, cakes and tortes, artisan breads, plated desserts, cake decorating, confections, chocolate, and retail production. The college also publishes a $75 culinary lab fee for each lab-based class and a $30 supply fee for selected baking courses, which are not included in the table estimates.
The certificate’s baking principles and nutrition courses also count toward the college’s Culinary Arts Diploma. See the full Columbus Tech baking and pastry profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
The Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate
Eight Georgia colleges offer the TCSG Baking and Pastry Specialist technical certificate of credit, program code BA51. Because it is a statewide standard program, the core is similar everywhere: culinary safety and sanitation, principles of cooking, baking principles, advanced baking principles, and a foundations of mathematics course.
TCSG revised its culinary curriculum for 2026–27. Some colleges now add a second baking principles course, while others keep nutrition and menu development courses, so published totals range from 25 to 28 credits for the same credential. Nearly every certificate course also counts toward a Culinary Arts Diploma at the same college, so students can stack the certificate into a longer credential.
Ogeechee Technical College
Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro offers the 26-credit Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate on the revised curriculum, generally completed in two semesters. Students may start in any semester, and the plan includes both Baking Principles II and a six-credit Advanced Baking Principles course.
Ogeechee publishes more program costs than most Georgia colleges. Students should budget about $270 for the uniform and knife kit, $90 course supply fees, and a TB test and hepatitis B series during the first semester. Students may earn ServSafe certification after the sanitation course. See the Ogeechee Tech baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
North Georgia Technical College
North Georgia Technical College offers the 26-credit Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate at its Currahee Campus in Toccoa. The program runs two terms, with Fall and Spring entry, and students can take cooking principles as a single six-credit course or as two three-credit foundations courses.
The college’s Culinary Arts diploma and degree hold American Culinary Federation Education Foundation accreditation, and certificate courses count toward both. The catalog estimates about $800 for books and supplies. See the North Georgia Tech baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Lanier Technical College
Lanier Technical College offers a 25-credit Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate at its Hall Campus in Gainesville. The catalog lays out a three-semester plan, and the college accepts students every semester based on course and space availability.
Lanier’s 2026–27 catalog still uses the earlier curriculum, which includes culinary nutrition and menu development. All certificate courses count toward the college’s 52-credit Culinary Arts Diploma, and the certificate is Pell-eligible. See the Lanier Tech baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Athens Technical College
Athens Technical College’s Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate requires 28 credits, including a three-credit first-semester seminar that most other versions do not require. The catalog lists the Athens Community Career Academy and the Walton Campus in Monroe as locations, while the college’s program page lists the Athens campus, so students should confirm where courses will meet.
Athens itemizes course-linked expenses, including a $250 pastry utensil kit, a $40 ServSafe exam fee, and $230 for second-year uniforms. See the Athens Tech baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
West Georgia Technical College
West Georgia Technical College offers the 26-credit Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate on the revised curriculum. The college lists the certificate at the Douglas Campus in Douglasville, the LaGrange Campus, and the Central Educational Center site in Newnan.
Every certificate course also counts toward the college’s Culinary Arts Diploma. Residents of Chambers, Cleburne, and Randolph counties in Alabama qualify for in-state tuition. See the West Georgia Tech baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College offers the Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate at its Valdosta Campus. The 2026–27 catalog moves it to the revised 26-credit curriculum with Baking Principles II, and the earlier version was designed for completion in two terms.
Most certificate credits also count toward the college’s 52-credit Culinary Arts Diploma. The catalog also lists the certificate for high school students, so adult applicants should confirm when college sections are offered. Course descriptions reference American Culinary Federation apprenticeship training objectives and ServSafe guidelines. See the Wiregrass baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Gwinnett Technical College
Gwinnett Technical College offers the Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate at its Lawrenceville Campus. The 28-credit version that began in Fall 2026 pairs baking principles and advanced baking with nutrition, sustainable practices, and menu development. Applicants must first be accepted into the college’s culinary diploma or degree program and attend a mandatory culinary seminar held before the fall and spring semesters.
Gwinnett’s Culinary Arts program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission, and coursework prepares students for ServSafe certification. See the Gwinnett Tech baking certificate profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Georgia colleges offer dedicated baking or pastry credentials?
Nine Georgia technical colleges currently publish a for-credit baking or pastry credential: Athens Tech, Columbus Tech, Gwinnett Tech, Lanier Tech, North Georgia Tech, Ogeechee Tech, Savannah Tech, West Georgia Tech, and Wiregrass Georgia Tech. Kennesaw State also offers a noncredit certificate.
What is the shortest baking program in Georgia?
The Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate at Columbus Tech and Lanier Tech requires 25 credits, the lowest published total. Ogeechee, North Georgia, and Wiregrass list two-semester completion plans.
Does Georgia offer a baking or pastry associate degree?
Yes. Savannah Technical College and Columbus Technical College each offer a 66-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts Associate of Applied Science. Both also offer a 59-credit diploma.
How much does a Georgia baking certificate cost?
Estimated in-state tuition and mandatory fees range from about $3,517 at Columbus Tech to about $3,958 at Gwinnett Tech for the Baking and Pastry Specialist Certificate. Uniforms, knife and pastry kits, health screenings, lab fees, books, housing, and transportation can increase the total.
Are these programs available online?
No. The baking and pastry programs on this page are campus-based because they require hands-on kitchen and laboratory training. Some general education courses may be available online, but students should expect to attend campus for technical classes.
Program requirements and costs can change. Confirm all details with the college before applying.