Hinds Community College does not offer a baking or pastry certificate or degree. Baking is taught as coursework inside its Culinary Arts Technology program, which the 2026–27 catalog places at the Jackson Campus Academic/Technical Center. The amount of baking is small: one course, CUT 1134 Principles of Baking, worth 4 credits.
That course sits inside three stacked culinary credentials under the catalog title Hospitality and Tourism Management Technology – Culinary Arts Technology: a Career Certificate (minimum 34 semester hours), a Technical Certificate (minimum 49), and an Associate of Applied Science (minimum 64). This page is for students who want general kitchen training in the Jackson area and need to know how much baking it includes.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Hinds Community College |
| Location | Jackson Campus Academic/Technical Center, Jackson, Mississippi |
| Program | Hospitality and Tourism Management Technology – Culinary Arts Technology |
| Credentials | Career Certificate; Technical Certificate; Associate of Applied Science |
| Credits | Minimum 34; 49; or 64 semester hours |
| Baking credential | None; baking is coursework within Culinary Arts |
| Baking coursework | 1 course, 4 credits (CUT 1134 Principles of Baking) |
| Delivery | Face-to-face, with select courses available online, per the college |
Culinary Program Options
The catalog’s Culinary Arts Technology program of study describes one program with completion points at 34, 49, and 64 hours, so each credential contains the one before it. Hinds also keeps a Culinary Arts Technology pathway page, and the two do not match. The pathway page shows 32, 47, and 62–64 hours because its sample curriculum leaves out the two-credit orientation course, and it lists instructor contacts at the Rankin, Utica, and Vicksburg campuses while naming Jackson as the location. This profile follows the catalog.
Career Certificate
The Career Certificate requires a minimum of 34 semester hours: a two-credit orientation course, Culinary Principles I and II, Principles of Baking, Garde Manger, Nutrition, Menu Planning, Sanitation and Safety, Hospitality Human Resource Management, and either Introduction to the Hospitality and Tourism Industry or Introduction to Culinary Arts. The catalog says completers may also receive certifications from the American Hotel and Lodging Association Education Institute.
Technical Certificate
Four more courses bring the total to 49 hours: Dining Room Management, American Regional Cuisine, International Cuisine, and a three-credit Supervised Work Experience in Culinary Arts Technology. None of the four is a baking course.
Associate of Applied Science
The AAS adds 15–17 hours of general education to reach a minimum of 64: English, a speech course, and electives in social or behavioral science, humanities or fine arts, and mathematics or science. The catalog also requires an assessment prep review course and a skills assessment exam before graduation.
Baking Courses in the Curriculum
The 2026–27 catalog lists one baking course, and it is the only course in the college catalog with baking in its title:
- CUT 1134 Principles of Baking (4 credits; 2 hours lecture and 4 hours lab a week): 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.
Principles of Baking lists Culinary Principles I and II as prerequisites and Garde Manger as a corequisite, so it is not a first-term class. The other 30 hours of the Career Certificate cover savory cooking, cold kitchen work, nutrition, menu planning, sanitation, and hospitality management. Chef’s uniforms are required in lab classes.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Hinds’s tuition and fees schedule for 2026–27 charges Mississippi residents $2,000 per semester for 15–21 hours, with no in-district or out-of-district difference, or $200 per credit hour for 14 hours or fewer. Out-of-state students pay $3,375 per semester, or $325 per credit hour part-time. Every student also pays a $150 registration fee and a $150 technology fee each semester ($20 per credit hour for part-time students).
The catalog does not lay the courses out by semester. The estimates below assume full-time enrollment over two semesters for the Career Certificate, three for the Technical Certificate, and four for the AAS, at $2,300 a semester for residents and $3,675 for out-of-state students:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Certificate (2 semesters) | 34 | $4,600 | $7,350 |
| Technical Certificate (3 semesters) | 49 | $6,900 | $11,025 |
| Associate of Applied Science (4 semesters) | 64 | $9,200 | $14,700 |
These totals cover tuition, the registration fee, and the technology fee. They leave out the $40 lab fee that the catalog’s expenses page lists under other charges without saying which courses carry it, the Barnes & Noble Complete Book Bundle at $30 per credit hour, the $50 parking decal each semester, and the $125 late registration fee. Uniforms are also extra, and the pathway page says students are responsible for their own tool and knife kit. Hinds does not publish prices for either.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Hinds describes its admission policy as open-door. New students submit the Hinds admission application, official high school or equivalency transcripts, and official ACT or SAT scores. The catalog lists no separate application for Culinary Arts Technology, but Culinary Principles I requires Sanitation and Safety and instructor approval, so contact the Jackson program before registering.
The college does not state financial aid eligibility credential by credential. Anyone counting on a Pell Grant or Mississippi state aid should file the FAFSA and ask the Financial Aid office how the certificate they plan to earn is treated.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
After Sanitation and Safety, students are eligible for ServSafe Sanitation certification from the National Restaurant Association. The pathway page lists restaurant groups and national chains as industry partners. Neither the catalog nor the pathway page states American Culinary Federation accreditation.
An AAS is built for employment. Hinds advises students who plan to transfer to check course transferability with an advisor, including under the statewide articulation agreement for Mississippi public universities.
Who This Program May Fit
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| General kitchen training in Jackson | The catalog lists the program at the Jackson Campus Academic/Technical Center |
| A first credential in about a year | The Career Certificate is a minimum of 34 hours and includes the one baking course |
| A degree with work experience | The AAS includes the three-credit supervised work experience and general education |
| 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
- Which hour totals apply to my entry term: 34, 49, and 64, as the catalog shows, or the pathway page’s 32, 47, and 62–64?
- Are any culinary labs taught at Rankin, Utica, or Vicksburg, or only in Jackson?
- In which semester is Principles of Baking offered, and how often?
- What do the uniform and the tool and knife kit cost?
- Which culinary courses carry the $40 lab fee?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Hinds Community College before applying.