Sullivan University, a private university in Louisville, teaches baking and pastry through its College of Hospitality Studies, formerly known as the National Center for Hospitality Studies. It offers two baking credentials: a 54-quarter-hour Professional Baker Diploma and a 90-quarter-hour Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry Arts. Both are taught in on-campus kitchen labs, and the associate degree adds an industry practicum.
Sullivan runs on an 11-week quarter calendar with four start dates each year, and it quotes tuition as a program price rather than by semester. The Louisville campus on Bardstown Road includes The Bakery, a dedicated classroom and lab building for the College of Hospitality Studies. Details below come from the 2026 Sullivan University catalog, its September 2026 addendum, and the university’s tuition supplement.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Sullivan University (private) |
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky; main campus on Bardstown Road |
| Credentials | A.S. in Baking and Pastry Arts; Professional Baker Diploma |
| Credits | 90 or 54 quarter hours (60 or 36 semester-hour equivalents) |
| Length | 21 months; 12 months (catalog) |
| Calendar | 11-week quarters; starts in winter, spring, summer, and fall |
| Accreditation | Institutional accreditation from SACSCOC |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Both credentials appear on Sullivan’s Baking and Pastry Arts program page and share the same first block of culinary, sanitation, and baking courses. The catalog lists both for Louisville. The diploma is also approved for the Lexington location, but the September 2026 catalog addendum says Sullivan is not currently accepting new diploma students there.
Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry Arts
The A.S. in Baking and Pastry Arts requires 90 quarter hours: 66 in core courses and 24 in general education. The catalog lists a length of 21 months. Beyond the diploma’s bread and baking courses, the degree adds chocolate, tortes and plated desserts, specialty cakes and sugar work, a business planning course, hospitality supervision, and a baking practicum at a site approved by the Dean of Baking and Pastry Programs.
Professional Baker Diploma
The Professional Baker Diploma totals 54 quarter hours, with 42 in core courses and 12 in general education (Composition I, a first-year success course, and Principles of Mathematics). The catalog lists a 12-month length, while the program page gives an estimated 9–12 months. The catalog describes it as preparation for entry-level work in retail and independent bakeries.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The 2026 catalog lists these baking and hospitality courses across the two programs:
- Basic Culinary Theory and Basic Culinary Skills Laboratory
- Food Service Sanitation, Basic Nutrition, and Food and Beverage Control
- Baking Science and Baking Fundamentals
- Artisan Theory and Advanced Techniques in Bread, covering lean and hearth breads, laminated and enriched doughs, and bread design
- Modern Pastry Techniques: chocolate and bonbons, tortes and petit fours, and dessert plating (A.S. only)
- Global Pastry Arts and Design: specialty cakes, international pastries, pastillage, isomalt, and sugar flowers (A.S. only)
- Baking and Pastry Entrepreneurship, Hospitality Management and Supervision, and Baking Practicum (A.S. only)
Sullivan limits its baking (PBA) and basic culinary (BFS) courses to students enrolled in College of Hospitality Studies programs, so they cannot be taken as stand-alone electives. Students must also meet the college’s technical standards, which include standing for four hours, working in refrigerated rooms, and handling hot sugar.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Sullivan’s current tuition supplement sets both baking programs at $585 per quarter credit hour, with the same rate for Kentucky and out-of-state students. The supplement quotes a program investment of $31,590 for the diploma and $52,650 for the A.S. degree. A September 2026 addendum adds an Academic Support Fee of $37.50 per credit hour for Fall Quarter 2026 and later:
| Program | Quarter credits | Published program tuition | Estimated tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.S. in Baking and Pastry Arts (21 months) | 90 | $52,650 | $56,025 |
| Professional Baker Diploma (12 months) | 54 | $31,590 | $33,615 |
These estimates exclude the application and registration fee, whose amount the supplement does not list, along with housing, meals outside of class, transportation, and personal costs. Sullivan says e-books, uniforms, 24/7 tutoring, and parking are included in tuition, and the university issues each hospitality student an initial pair of kitchen shoes.
According to the tuition supplement, meals eaten during baking labs are covered by tuition. Students who repeat a College of Hospitality Studies lab pay $1,500 per repeat. Baking majors who live in Gardiner Point Residence Hall pay a $1,160 per quarter meal plan, in addition to rent. Later changes appear in the supplement addendum.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applicants interview with an admissions representative, submit an application with a paid application and registration fee, and request transcripts from any colleges previously attended. A high school diploma, GED, or homeschool credential is required by matriculation. Sullivan uses rolling admissions, so there is no application deadline, and students can start in any of the four quarters.
The 2026 catalog lists Federal Pell Grants, Direct Loans, and Kentucky Tuition Grants among its aid programs. The state grant requires full-time enrollment in a degree program and Kentucky residency. Sullivan enrolls students for complete programs, and the catalog notes that students on a contract who finish early still owe the full contract amount.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The catalog says A.S. graduates are prepared to work in bakeries or as pastry chefs in hotels and restaurants. Sullivan reports that its student competition team has earned more than 400 medals. Its program pages describe faculty credentials from the American Institute of Baking and the American Culinary Federation, but Sullivan does not state ACF accreditation for either baking program.
Sullivan runs on quarter hours, so the 90-hour A.S. equals 60 semester hours at a semester-based school. Sullivan’s B.S. in Hospitality Management includes 64 quarter hours of free electives, which the catalog says can be chosen in keeping with a student’s associate degree. Students planning to transfer elsewhere should have the receiving school evaluate each course.
Which Sullivan Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Professional Baker Diploma | About a year of bread and baking fundamentals for entry-level bakery work |
| A.S. in Baking and Pastry Arts | Advanced pastry, chocolate, and sugar work plus a practicum and a degree that can lead to a bachelor’s |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- What are the application and registration fees, and are they refundable?
- Does the $37.50 per credit Academic Support Fee apply to my full program, and will my enrollment agreement lock in the tuition rate?
- If I start with the diploma, how many credits carry into the A.S. degree?
- Where have recent students completed the baking practicum, and how are sites approved?
- Are baking labs offered in the evening, and how many quarters does a typical student take?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Sullivan University before applying.