East Central Community College does not offer a baking or pastry certificate or degree. Baking is taught as coursework inside the Culinary Arts Technology program on the Decatur campus. The 2026–27 program of study requires one baking course, CUT 1133 Principles of Baking, worth 3 credits, and the catalog lists a Retail Commercial Baking exam from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute among the certifications the program offers.
The culinary credentials are a Career Certificate (30 semester hours), a Technical Certificate (45), and an Associate of Applied Science (62–63), each built on the one before. This page is for students in east central Mississippi who want broad kitchen and hospitality training and need to see exactly where baking fits.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | East Central Community College |
| Location | Decatur, Mississippi |
| Program | Culinary Arts Technology |
| Credentials | Career Certificate; Technical Certificate; Associate of Applied Science |
| Credits | 30; 45; or 62–63 semester hours |
| Catalog sequence | Two, three, or four semesters |
| Baking credential | None; baking is coursework within Culinary Arts |
| Baking coursework | 1 required course, 3 credits (CUT 1133 Principles of Baking) |
Culinary Program Options
The 2026–27 College Catalog (page 125) prints one two-year plan and marks each course as a Career Certificate, Technical Certificate, or AAS requirement. The college’s Culinary Arts Technology page describes the same three exit points.
Career Certificate
The Career Certificate is the first year of the plan, 30 hours over a fall and a spring semester. Fall covers Introduction to Hospitality Management, Restaurant and Catering Operations, Sanitation and Safety, Hospitality Seminar, and Culinary Principles I. Spring covers Hospitality Human Resource Management, Hospitality Supervision, Culinary Principles II, Garde Manger, and Principles of Baking.
Technical Certificate
A third semester of 15 hours completes the 45-hour Technical Certificate: Hospitality Cost Controls, Menu Planning and Facilities Design, Dining Room Management, American Regional Cuisine, and International Cuisine.
Associate of Applied Science
The AAS adds 17–18 hours for a total of 62–63: the two-credit Warrior Path to Success course in the first fall, then a final semester of English, Public Speaking I, a math or lab science course, and electives in humanities or fine arts and social or behavioral science. The catalog notes that Technical English and Technical Math do not transfer to a university.
Baking Courses in the Curriculum
One baking course is required, in the spring of the first year:
- CUT 1133 Principles of Baking (3 credits; the catalog lists two hours of lecture and two hours of lab): fundamentals of baking science, terminology, ingredients, weights and measures, and formula conversion and storage. Students prepare yeast goods, pies, cakes, cookies, and quick breads, and learn to use and care for equipment. Culinary Principles I is the prerequisite.
The catalog’s course descriptions also list six Baking and Pastry (BPT) courses of four credits each: Cookies, Mignardise and Frozen Desserts; Classic Pastry, Pies, and Tarts; Restaurant and Catering Operations for Baking and Pastry Arts; Artisan Breads and Viennoiserie; Advanced Cakes and Patisserie; and Chocolates, Confections, Sugar Artistry. None of them appears in the Culinary Arts Technology program of study, so they are listed but not required, and the college does not say when they are scheduled.
The rest of the plan is savory cooking, cold kitchen work, regional and international cuisine, dining room service, and hospitality management. The college requires professional chef uniforms in all lab classes.
Tuition and Additional Costs
East Central’s 2026–27 fees and expenses schedule shows one full-time price per semester rather than a per-credit rate. A Mississippi day student pays $2,645 per semester: a $1,880 matriculation fee, $200 technology fee, $50 registration fee, $20 publication fee, $45 activity fee, and a $450 course material fee. Out-of-state students add a $1,050 out-of-state fee each semester. Part-time students pay $170 per credit hour plus per-credit versions of the same fees.
Using the catalog’s semester plan:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Certificate (2 semesters) | 30 | $5,290 | $7,390 |
| Technical Certificate (3 semesters) | 45 | $7,935 | $11,085 |
| Associate of Applied Science (4 semesters) | 62–63 | $10,580 | $14,780 |
These totals cover the fees charged to every full-time day student, including the course material fee. They do not include the $425 Culinary Arts fee in the schedule’s list of Career and Technical Program fees. The schedule is headed fees and expenses per semester; at that rate the program fee would add $850, $1,275, or $1,700 to the three estimates, so confirm how often it is billed. Also left out are the $20 per course lab fee, the $40 per course online course fee, the $15 ID fee, the $10 parking permit, uniforms, and knives or tools, which the college does not price. Current figures are on the tuition and fees page.
Admissions and Financial Aid
East Central follows an open admissions policy. For a 30-hour Career option in a career and technical program, the catalog asks for an application to the Office of Admissions and Records, an official transcript showing a high school diploma or an approved equivalency, and completion of an ACT assessment. Culinary Arts Technology is one of the programs whose students are subject to initial, random, and reasonable-suspicion substance abuse testing.
The catalog describes Pell Grants and other aid in general terms and does not state eligibility for each certificate. File the FAFSA and ask the Financial Aid Office about the credential you plan to finish.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
The catalog lists ServSafe Manager and ServSafe Alcohol from the National Restaurant Association, plus two National Occupational Competency Testing Institute exams, Culinary Arts Prep Cook and Retail Commercial Baking. Neither source states American Culinary Federation accreditation.
For transfer, the program page cites articulation agreements with Mississippi University for Women, toward a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration with a Culinary Arts concentration, and with Mississippi State University, toward a Bachelor of Applied Technology. Ask an advisor which English and math options those agreements require.
Who This Program May Fit
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| A one-year culinary credential | The 30-hour Career Certificate is laid out over fall and spring and includes Principles of Baking |
| Kitchen skills plus hospitality management | The plan mixes culinary labs with supervision, human resources, and cost control courses |
| A path to a bachelor’s degree | The college cites articulation agreements with Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State University |
| A baking-titled certificate or degree | This program does not provide one. Mississippi’s baking-titled programs are at East Mississippi Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Mississippi University for Women; see the Mississippi baking schools page |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Is the $425 Culinary Arts fee charged every semester or once?
- Are any of the BPT baking and pastry courses in the catalog being offered, and can they count as electives?
- When is the Retail Commercial Baking exam given, and is it required?
- What uniforms and tools do I need, and what do they cost?
- Can I start the sequence in spring, or does Culinary Principles I run only in fall?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with East Central Community College before applying.