Northeast Mississippi Community College does not offer a baking or pastry certificate or degree. Baking is taught as coursework inside the Culinary Arts Technology program at the Booneville campus. Both culinary plans in the 2026–27 catalog include a single baking course, CUT 1134 Principles of Baking, worth 4 credits and scheduled in the second semester.
The college awards two culinary credentials: a 30-hour Certificate that takes two semesters and a 63-hour Associate of Applied Science that takes four. The catalog says students graduate with the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification. This page is for students in northeast Mississippi who want a general culinary credential and are checking how much baking it contains.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Northeast Mississippi Community College |
| Location | Booneville, Mississippi |
| Program | Culinary Arts Technology |
| Credentials | Associate of Applied Science; Certificate |
| Credits | 63 or 30 semester hours |
| Catalog sequence | Four semesters or two semesters |
| Baking credential | None; baking is coursework within Culinary Arts |
| Baking coursework | 1 course, 4 credits (CUT 1134 Principles of Baking) |
| Program fee | $595 per semester, full-time |
Culinary Program Options
Northeast publishes a separate semester-by-semester plan for each credential in its 2026–27 catalog. The Certificate’s ten courses all appear in the first year of the degree. Both plans state that students must wear appropriate uniforms for every lab class.
Culinary Arts Technology, Associate of Applied Science
The Culinary Arts Technology AAS totals 63 hours in semesters of 17, 16, 14, and 16. The first year matches the Certificate plus a technical elective chosen from Garde Manger, Hospitality Cost Control, and Hospitality Human Resource Management. The second year adds International Cuisine, Restaurant and Catering Operation, Hospitality Supervision, two more one-credit hospitality seminars, an advisor-approved business elective, and general education in English, social or behavioral science, math or science, fine arts, and computers or public speaking. The catalog advises taking the HRT and CUT classes in the listed order to finish in two years.
Culinary Arts Technology, Certificate
The Culinary Arts Technology Certificate is 30 hours with no general education. The first semester (14 hours) lists Sanitation and Safety, Culinary Principles I, Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism, Hospitality Seminar I, and Nutrition. The second (16 hours) lists Principles of Baking, Culinary Principles II, Hospitality Seminar II, Menu Planning, and American Regional Cuisine.
Baking Courses in the Curriculum
Each plan contains the same single baking course:
- CUT 1134 Principles of Baking (4 credits; two hours lecture and four hours laboratory): 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 use and care for equipment.
The catalog makes Sanitation and Safety and Culinary Principles I prerequisites for the culinary lab classes, which is why baking falls in the second semester. No other course in either plan is a baking or pastry course. The remaining culinary work is in two levels of culinary principles, American regional cuisine, nutrition, and menu planning, with international cuisine and restaurant and catering operation in the degree. Instruction takes place in a commercial kitchen with a culinary instructor.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Northeast’s tuition and fees schedule for 2026–27 lists full-time tuition, covering 12–21 semester hours, at $1,915 per semester for Mississippi residents and $3,640 per semester for residents of other states. Part-time and summer hours cost $191.50 or $364 per credit hour. The college has no general fee paid by every student. It charges a fee by program instead, and the rate for Culinary Arts Technology is $595 per semester full-time, or $59.50 per credit hour part-time.
Every semester in both catalog plans falls in the full-time band. The table shows tuition only, over the published number of semesters:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culinary Arts Technology, AAS (4 semesters) | 63 | $7,660 | $14,560 |
| Culinary Arts Technology, Certificate (2 semesters) | 30 | $3,830 | $7,280 |
The Culinary Arts Technology program fee is not in those totals. It adds $2,380 over the four semesters of the AAS and $1,190 over the two semesters of the Certificate, which brings a Mississippi resident to about $10,040 for the degree or $5,020 for the Certificate. The schedule also lists an iPad fee at cost plus 10 percent, and it leaves out uniforms, books, replacement or additional parking decals, and housing and meals. Northeast does not publish uniform or tool prices for the program. The catalog warns applicants to anticipate tuition and fee increases.
Admissions and Financial Aid
The catalog lists no separate culinary application. Northeast’s new student steps start with the application for admission, then a transcript showing graduation from an approved high school or home school program, or a passing GED, HiSET, or TASC score, along with ACT or SAT scores. Students over 21 do not need ACT scores for acceptance, though a placement test may be required. Applicants then receive a checklist email and, once requirements are met, an acceptance email.
Northeast recommends filing the FAFSA but does not state aid eligibility for each credential, so ask Financial Aid about the 30-hour Certificate specifically. Residents of Alcorn, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, and Union counties, and of several neighboring counties under conditions the college describes, may qualify for its Tuition Guarantee scholarships.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Beyond ServSafe Food Protection Manager, the catalog says degree students may receive National Restaurant Association certificates in nutrition, customer service, and hospitality and restaurant management, as well as ServSafe Alcohol. Certificate students may receive the association’s ManageFirst nutrition certificate. The catalog does not state American Culinary Federation accreditation for either credential.
An AAS is designed for employment, and the catalog names no university transfer agreement for Culinary Arts Technology. Students thinking about a bachelor’s degree should choose the English and math options with an advisor.
Who This Program May Fit
| Student goal | How the program may fit |
|---|---|
| Culinary training in two semesters | The 30-hour Certificate has no general education and includes Principles of Baking |
| A two-year degree with management content | The 63-hour AAS adds supervision, catering operation, international cuisine, and general education |
| Food safety and industry certificates | The catalog says students graduate with ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification |
| 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
- Can I begin in spring, or does the lab sequence start only in fall?
- What uniform is required for labs, and what does it cost?
- How much is the iPad fee for a culinary student this year?
- Is the 30-hour Certificate eligible for federal and state aid?
- Is Garde Manger offered every year as the technical elective?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Northeast Mississippi Community College before applying.