College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls runs a stand-alone Baking and Pastry Arts program with its own BAKE course prefix, separate from the college’s Culinary Arts program. It awards three stacked credentials: a 15-credit Basic Technical Certificate, a 30-credit Intermediate Technical Certificate, and a 60-credit Associate of Applied Science.
The program is built around four six-credit bakeshop courses, each listed in the catalog with 45 lecture hours and 135 lab hours. CSI describes it as an in-person, limited enrollment program that admits once a year on a first-come, first-served basis. Service labs are held in the college’s Desert Café. Details below come from the 2026–27 CSI Catalog and the college’s 2026–27 tuition schedule.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | College of Southern Idaho |
| Location | Twin Falls, Idaho; main campus at 315 Falls Avenue |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry Arts, AAS; Intermediate Technical Certificate; Basic Technical Certificate |
| Credits | 60; 30; or 15 |
| Length | Four semesters; two semesters; or two semesters in the catalog plans |
| Admission | Limited enrollment, once a year, first-come, first-served |
| Format | In person, with lecture, demonstration, bakeshop lab, and co-op education |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
CSI lists all three credentials on its Baking and Pastry Arts program page. Each one starts with the same fall courses, so the shorter certificates stack into the degree.
Baking and Pastry Arts, Associate of Applied Science
The Baking and Pastry Arts AAS requires 60 credits over four 15-credit semesters. It includes all four Professional Baking and Pastry courses (24 credits), Food Sanitation, Menu Management, Food Service Nutrition, Food Service Purchasing, and Food and Beverage Service with its Desert Café lab. General education covers math, writing, oral communication, and Human Relations, and students choose six credits of program electives.
Baking and Pastry Arts, Intermediate Technical Certificate
The Intermediate Technical Certificate is the first year of the AAS: 30 credits in two semesters. It covers Professional Baking and Pastry 1 and 2, Food Sanitation, Menu Management, Food and Beverage Service, math, Human Relations, and a writing or oral communication course.
Baking and Pastry Arts, Basic Technical Certificate
The Basic Technical Certificate has only three courses and 15 credits. The catalog plan puts Professional Baking and Pastry 1 and Food Sanitation in fall (9 credits) and Professional Baking and Pastry 2 in spring (6 credits). It has no general education requirement.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The 2026–27 catalog lists these baking courses and course areas:
- Professional Baking and Pastry 1 (6 credits): ingredients, baker’s percentages and baking math, mixing methods, pastry basics, meringues, dessert sauces, and plating
- Professional Baking and Pastry 2 (6 credits): yeast doughs, artisan breads, fermentation, lean and rich doughs, croissant and Danish, quick breads, and doughnuts
- Professional Baking and Pastry 3 (6 credits, AAS): cakes and cake decorating, specialty cakes and tortes, pies, tarts, cookies, frozen desserts, chocolate tempering, and altitude adjustments
- Professional Baking and Pastry 4 (6 credits, AAS): custards and soufflés, pulled and poured sugar, pastillage, baking for special diets, and marketing for a small baking business
- Cooperative Education in Baking (1–4 credits, AAS elective): practice in the bakeshop lab, the Desert Café, or an approved outside site
- Supporting courses in food sanitation, menu management, nutrition, purchasing, and food and beverage service
The baking courses run in sequence, and each requires a C or better in the one before it. Professional Baking and Pastry 2 also requires a current ServSafe Manager certification, which students normally earn in Food Sanitation. The third and fourth courses list a NOCTI third-party assessment among their final exams.
Tuition and Additional Costs
CSI’s 2026–27 tuition schedule charges $155 per credit for in-district students. Out-of-district Idaho residents pay the same $155 plus a $50 per credit county fee, capped at 10 credits or $500 a semester. Their home county may cover that portion when the student files an approved Certificate of Residency. Out-of-state students pay $308 per credit. The schedule lists no separate mandatory per-credit or per-term fees, so the estimates below are credits times the per-credit rate, plus the county fee for each semester in the catalog plan:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-district tuition | Estimated out-of-district tuition (if billed the county fee) | Estimated out-of-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS (4 semesters) | 60 | $9,300 | $11,300 | $18,480 |
| Intermediate Technical Certificate (2 semesters) | 30 | $4,650 | $5,650 | $9,240 |
| Basic Technical Certificate (2 semesters) | 15 | $2,325 | $3,075 | $4,620 |
These totals do not include course or lab fees, books, uniforms, tools, or living costs. The schedule names Jerome, Twin Falls, Ada, Canyon, Bonneville, and Kootenai counties at the in-district rate, so students from other Idaho counties should confirm their status with the registrar.
The program’s Admission Steps page tells students to budget about $185 for textbooks and $500 for uniforms and tools. The college does not publish course-specific lab fees on the tuition schedule or the catalog course pages, so ask what is billed at registration.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applying to CSI is free and done online. After acceptance, the program asks students to watch its information video, then meet with an enrollment specialist to declare the major and get registration clearance. Students who already hold a ServSafe Manager certification can show it during the first week of Food Sanitation and, once it is verified, drop the class and purchase the credits at a discounted rate.
CSI does not state Pell Grant eligibility for each baking credential on the program or catalog pages. Students counting on federal aid for the 15-credit certificate should confirm it with the financial aid office.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
According to CSI, the program prepares students for entry-level jobs in independent and in-store bakeries, large commercial bakeries, restaurants, and hotels. The four core courses add up to 540 lab hours for AAS students and 270 for certificate students. The college does not state American Culinary Federation accreditation for the program.
The AAS is an applied degree meant for employment, and the catalog pages do not list a bachelor’s transfer agreement for it. CSI’s separate Culinary Arts certificates and AAS share the sanitation, menu, nutrition, and purchasing courses.
Which CSI Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Basic Technical Certificate | Two bakeshop courses and a sanitation credential, with no general education |
| Intermediate Technical Certificate | A one-year credential that adds menu management, café service, and three general education courses |
| Baking and Pastry Arts AAS | Cakes, chocolate, sugar work, and purchasing on top of the first year, plus a degree |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- When does registration open for the next cohort, and how many seats are available?
- Are course or lab fees charged for the BAKE courses on top of tuition?
- What is included in the $500 uniform and tool estimate?
- What days and hours do bakeshop labs and Desert Café shifts meet?
- Will my county approve a Certificate of Residency for the out-of-district fee?
- Is the Basic Technical Certificate eligible for Pell Grant funding?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with College of Southern Idaho before applying.
Related Programs
No other baking school profiles are currently available for ID.