Delgado Community College in New Orleans, which dates its Culinary Arts Program to 1921, runs a separate set of pastry courses under the PAST prefix. Those courses feed two credit credentials: a 24-credit Pastry Arts Certificate of Technical Studies and the Baking and Pastry Arts concentration within the 63-credit Culinary Arts Associate of Applied Science. The Culinary Arts Department is based at the City Park Campus, Building 11.
Both credentials share five pastry lab courses, so the certificate can be earned on the way to the degree. Details below come from Delgado’s 2026–27 catalog, its 2026–27 tuition and fee table, and the course and lab fee list updated in August 2026.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Delgado Community College |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana; City Park Campus, Building 11 |
| Credentials | Pastry Arts C.T.S.; Culinary Arts A.A.S. with a Baking and Pastry Arts concentration |
| Credits | 24 (C.T.S.); 63 (A.A.S.) |
| Suggested sequence | C.T.S.: four terms including one summer session; A.A.S.: five terms including one summer session |
| Lab class size | 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio in laboratory classes, per the department |
| Accreditation | The catalog lists the Accrediting Commission of the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation for Culinary Arts |
| Residency pricing | One tuition and fee table for all students; no non-resident rate is listed |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The 2026–27 Programs of Study list shows one credential with pastry in its title and one degree with a named baking concentration.
Pastry Arts, C.T.S.
The Pastry Arts Certificate of Technical Studies requires 24 credits in ten courses, each with a grade of C or higher. Five are shared culinary courses and five are pastry courses. The catalog’s suggested sequence spreads them over four terms: 9 credits, 9 credits, a 4-credit summer session, and a final 2-credit term for Contemporary Desserts. Delgado’s program page describes the certificate as taking less than a year full time, so ask how the last course is scheduled.
Culinary Arts, A.A.S.: Baking and Pastry Arts Concentration
Students in the Culinary Arts A.A.S. choose either Professional Culinarian or Baking and Pastry Arts. The degree totals 63 credits: 27 in required culinary courses, a 3-credit culinary elective, 18 in the concentration, and 15 in general education. The suggested sequence for the baking concentration runs five terms of 17, 15, 8 (summer), 12, and 11 credits.
Beyond the certificate’s pastry courses, the concentration adds Specialty Decoration and Showpiece Design, Baking and Pastry Cafe, and a Pastry Internship. Delgado states that certificate credits apply directly toward this degree.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The catalog lists these baking and pastry courses across the two credentials:
- CULA 207 Fundamentals of Baking (2 credits)
- PAST 101 Introduction to Baking and Pastry (3 credits)
- PAST 102 and PAST 103 Baking and Pastry Skills Lab I and II (2 credits each)
- PAST 199 Cake Baking, Design, and Decoration (2 credits)
- PAST 200 Contemporary Desserts (2 credits)
- PAST 204 Specialty Decoration and Showpiece Design (2 credits, A.A.S. only)
- PAST 218 Baking and Pastry Cafe (3 credits, A.A.S. only)
- PAST 233 Pastry Internship (2 credits, A.A.S. only)
Certificate students also take Introduction to Culinary Arts, Basic Culinary Skills, Food Safety and Sanitation, and Menu Design and Management. Degree students add purchasing, dining room service, nutrition, supervision, cost control, and general education.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Delgado’s 2026–27 tuition and fee table charges $138.96 per credit hour in tuition and $200.96 per credit hour in total for the first 12 hours in a term. That total includes seven per-credit mandatory fees plus the $25-per-credit Delgado Course Complete fee, which supplies required textbooks. Several fees stop at 12 hours, so a 15-credit term costs $2,939.40 and a 17-credit term $3,291.32.
City Park students also pay flat fees each fall and spring: $75 for campus access, $10 for student government, and $15 for the Student Life Center. The catalog does not list a non-resident rate, and the college announced in 2020 that it had stopped charging its non-resident fee, so both estimate columns match. Estimates follow the catalog’s suggested sequences:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Arts, C.T.S. (4 terms, one in summer) | 24 | $5,133 | $5,133 |
| Culinary Arts, A.A.S., Baking and Pastry Arts concentration (5 terms, one in summer) | 63 | $12,870 | $12,870 |
Summer terms are counted at the same per-credit table with $10 in flat fees, because the $150 yearly cap on the access fee is reached in fall and spring. The estimates leave out course and lab fees, uniforms, knives and tools, the $40 fee charged in any term that includes an online course, and living costs.
Course and lab fees are significant here. On the August 2026 fee list, Basic Culinary Skills carries $340, Fundamentals of Baking $130, Skills Lab I $105, Skills Lab II $130, Cake Baking $80, and Contemporary Desserts $155. That is $940 for the certificate. The degree concentration adds $155 for Showpiece Design, $80 for the Baking and Pastry Cafe, and $40 for cost control, or $1,215 before any elective fee. Uniform and tool prices are not in the catalog.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Delgado is an open-admissions college. After being admitted, pastry students complete the Culinary Arts Department’s supplemental program application, which the department uses for advising and to communicate about orientation and uniforms. For the certificate, the catalog requires a high school diploma or equivalent and placement into English Composition I and college-level math.
Degree applicants face more steps. They must be 18, submit an application packet with reference letters and proof of high school completion, be ready for college-level English and math, and attend faculty and program director interviews.
The catalog describes Pell Grants, federal loans, and state aid in general terms and notes that loans require at least six credit hours in a term. It does not say how aid applies to the Pastry Arts certificate specifically, which matters for the 4-credit and 2-credit terms in the suggested sequence.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
According to the catalog, both options prepare students for entry-level baking and pastry positions in hotels, restaurants, pastry shops, and in-store and independent bakeries. Delgado’s program page lists roles such as baker, pastry cook, and cake decorator for certificate graduates. The department says students can also earn industry certifications along the way.
The A.A.S. is an applied degree. The catalog tells students planning a bachelor’s degree to ask the receiving institution which courses will transfer.
Which Delgado Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Pastry Arts, C.T.S. | A 24-credit route into bakery and pastry work with no general education courses |
| Culinary Arts, A.A.S., Baking and Pastry Arts concentration | Showpiece work, a cafe course, an internship, and management coursework in a full degree |
| Certificate first, then the degree | A credential to work with while finishing the remaining 39 credits |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Can the certificate be finished in three terms, as the program page suggests, or does Contemporary Desserts require a fourth?
- Which terms can I start in, and are PAST courses offered every semester?
- What do the required uniforms, knives, and pastry tools cost?
- Will my financial aid cover the short summer and final terms of the certificate sequence?
- Does the program’s ACF accreditation cover the baking concentration and the certificate?
- Where do pastry students complete the internship?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Delgado Community College before applying.