Joliet Junior College offers one baking credential: the Baking and Pastry Certificate of Completion, a 17-credit program that the completion guide lays out over two semesters. JJC does not list a separate baking and pastry associate degree in its 2026–27 catalog, so the certificate is the college’s only baking-specific option.
What sets the certificate apart is its flexibility. After an 8-credit core, students pick three courses from a menu of twelve baking and pastry electives, leaning toward breads and cakes, plated desserts and French pastry, or a mix. The Culinary Arts Management A.A.S., which the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation accredits, is the longer path for students who want a degree.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Joliet Junior College |
| Location | Joliet, Illinois; culinary restaurants at the City Center Campus, 235 N. Chicago St. |
| Credential | Baking and Pastry, Certificate of Completion (CA150) |
| Total credits | 17 |
| Typical length | Two semesters in the completion guide |
| Structure | 8-credit core plus 9 credits of baking or pastry electives |
| Department | Culinary Arts |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The Culinary Arts department listing in the 2026–27 catalog shows three programs: the Culinary Arts Management A.A.S., the Baking and Pastry certificate, and a Food Preparation certificate. Only the Baking and Pastry certificate is built around baking.
Baking and Pastry, Certificate of Completion
The Baking and Pastry certificate starts with Applied Food Service Sanitation and the paired Foundations of Professional Baking I and II. Students then work with a program advisor to choose 9 credits from a baking concentration, a pastry concentration, or a custom blend.
The catalog lists pastry cook, baker, pastry chef, wedding cake designer, and bakery or patisserie owner as target careers. It also mentions chefs who want a stronger pastry background.
Continuing Into Culinary Arts Management
The Culinary Arts Management A.A.S. totals 70 credits. It requires the same sanitation and baking foundation courses, and one baking or pastry elective can count toward its 8 elective credits. Graduates can apply for the ACF Certified Culinarian credential.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The certificate’s core and elective choices include:
- Applied Food Service Sanitation (2 credits), which leads to eligibility for the Illinois food service sanitation manager certificate
- Foundations of Professional Baking I and II (3 credits each), taken as back-to-back 8-week courses in the same semester
- Baking concentration: Breads I and II, Pies and Tarts, Cakes I and II
- Pastry concentration: Desserts I and II, Petit Fours/Small Pastries, Cookies, Showpieces, French Pastry, Custards and Frozen Desserts
Each elective carries 3 credits. Some have prerequisites: Breads II requires Breads I, and Showpieces requires both Cookies and Petit Fours. Those links affect which combinations fit into two semesters.
Tuition and Additional Costs
For Fall 2026 through Summer 2027, JJC charges $118 per credit hour in-district, $395 out-of-district, and $440 out-of-state. Every student also pays $35 per credit hour in mandatory fees (technology, student service, and capital assessment). No flat semester fee is listed, so the two-semester length does not change the estimate:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry, Certificate of Completion | 17 | $2,601 | $7,310 | $8,075 |
These totals cover tuition and per-credit fees only. Course fees, uniforms, cutlery, books, supplies, transportation, and living costs are extra. JJC adds a $35 course fee to online and hybrid sections.
Course fees are significant here. The course fee list for Fall 2026 through Summer 2027 shows $135 for sanitation and $225 plus a $10 lab fee for each Foundations of Professional Baking course. Most electives cost $270 plus $10, French Pastry is $320 plus $10, and Showpieces is $355 plus $10. Three $280 electives would bring course fees to about $1,445. Students also need the required uniform from the approved vendor, and ordering details are on the Culinary Arts page. Rates are posted on the Pay for College page.
Admissions and Financial Aid
JJC has an open-door policy covering high school graduates, high school equivalency holders, home-schooled students with documentation, and applicants 18 or older. All students submit an application. The admissions section of the catalog notes that admission to the college does not guarantee a seat in a specific course or program.
JJC’s 2026–27 list of active programs marks the Baking and Pastry certificate (CA150) as Title IV eligible, so qualifying students can apply Pell Grants to it. The college also posts separate uniform and cutlery ordering instructions for financial aid students.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The certificate is designed for entry-level baking and pastry work and for cooks who want to add pastry skills. Culinary students run the Saveur and Thrive restaurants and the Lavu kiosk at the City Center Campus, and the department supports competition teams and student clubs.
A certificate of completion is not built for transfer. Students who later want a degree can look at the Culinary Arts Management A.A.S. and should ask how many certificate courses would apply, since that degree accepts only one baking or pastry elective.
Who May Find This Certificate a Good Fit?
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Finish a baking credential quickly | The 17-credit plan is laid out over two semesters |
| Focus on breads and cakes, or on plated and French pastry | Nine elective credits can follow either concentration or a custom mix |
| Use federal grant aid for a short program | JJC lists the certificate as Title IV eligible |
| Add pastry skills to a cooking career | The catalog names chefs seeking a pastry background as a target audience |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Can I start in spring, given that the catalog lists Applied Food Service Sanitation as a fall course?
- Which electives run each semester, and which fit together without prerequisite conflicts?
- Are the baking labs held at the City Center Campus or the main campus?
- What will the uniform and cutlery kit cost?
- How would my certificate courses count if I move into Culinary Arts Management?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Joliet Junior College before applying.