Missouri has two community colleges with baking or pastry credentials: Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield and St. Louis Community College at its Forest Park campus. Both offer a 65-credit associate degree, and Ozarks Tech also offers a 31-credit baking certificate.
Both colleges state that their baking degrees are accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation. In-district tuition is $127 per credit at St. Louis Community College, with general fees included, and $140 to $153 per credit plus fees at Ozarks Tech.
Baking and Pastry Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Programs, Credits and Estimated Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Ozarks Technical Community College | Springfield | Culinary Arts: Baking and Pastry AAS: 65 credits – about $12,636 Baking Arts Certificate: 31 credits – about $6,174 |
| St. Louis Community College | St. Louis | Baking and Pastry Arts AAS: 65 credits – about $8,255 |
Estimates use each college’s 2026–27 in-district tuition and required fees over its published plan, before financial aid. They exclude course and lab fees, books, uniforms, tools, and living costs. Out-of-district and out-of-state estimates appear in each profile.
Which Missouri Baking Program May Fit You?
Earn a Baking Certificate
Ozarks Technical Community College offers the state’s only baking certificate. The 31-credit Baking Arts Certificate takes two semesters and shares its six baking labs with the degree.
Earn a Baking Associate Degree in Southwest Missouri
Ozarks Tech‘s Culinary Arts: Baking and Pastry AAS is a 65-credit, four-semester degree on the Springfield Campus. Degree students also work in the department’s on-campus restaurant.
Earn a Baking Associate Degree in St. Louis
St. Louis Community College teaches its 65-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS entirely at Forest Park. Pastry courses run in two five-course blocks and end with a capstone built around the ACF Certified Pastry Culinarian standards.
Certificate or Associate Degree?
Certificate
Ozarks Tech’s Baking Arts Certificate concentrates on baking labs with a small number of supporting courses. It suits students who want kitchen skills quickly, and its courses count toward the AAS if they continue.
Associate Degree
Both AAS degrees add general education, management or hospitality courses, and more advanced pastry work. They are career degrees, so students planning on a bachelor’s degree should ask how credits transfer.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Missouri community colleges charge in-district, out-of-district, and out-of-state rates. St. Louis Community College charges $127, $176, and $238 per credit for 2026–27 and says its general fees are built into those rates. Ozarks Tech uses two tiers: $140 per credit in-district for most courses and $153 for culinary labs, plus $47 per credit in required fees and a $52 registration fee each semester.
Baking students should also budget for:
- Course fees, which Ozarks Tech lists at $200 to $350 per culinary course
- Uniforms, knife and pastry tool kits
- Food safety certification
- Textbooks and supplies
- Transportation and living expenses
Programs No Longer Listed
St. Charles Community College listed a Baking and Pastry AAS and certificate through its 2025–26 catalog, but its 2026–27 catalog lists only a Culinary AAS. Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City has no baking or culinary credential in its 2026–27 catalog. East Central College, Jefferson College, and College of the Ozarks teach culinary arts programs that include baking courses but no baking-titled credential.
Several private schools have closed. L’Ecole Culinaire in St. Louis and Kansas City closed in 2018, as did the Culinary Institute of St. Louis at Hickey College. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in St. Louis and the Art Institute of St. Louis have also closed.
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which baking courses are offered each semester, and can I finish in the published number of terms?
- What course fees, uniforms, and tool kits are required, and what do they cost?
- Do I qualify for the in-district rate?
- Is the certificate eligible for federal financial aid on its own?
- What does the program’s ACF accreditation mean for earning a Certified Pastry Culinarian credential?
- How do the degree credits transfer to a bachelor’s program?
Ozarks Technical Community College
Ozarks Tech teaches baking and pastry on its Springfield Campus through a 31-credit Baking Arts Certificate and a 65-credit Culinary Arts: Baking and Pastry AAS that share the same six baking labs. The college states the AAS holds ACFEF accreditation with exemplary status, and degree students work in the department’s on-campus restaurant. Tuition is tiered, with the baking labs billed at a higher rate than general education courses.
See the Ozarks Technical Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
St. Louis Community College
St. Louis Community College offers a 65-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS taught entirely at its Forest Park campus; it has no shorter baking certificate. Pastry courses run in two five-course blocks and end with a capstone built around the ACF Certified Pastry Culinarian standards. The college states the program is ACFEF accredited, and its per-credit rate already includes general fees.
See the St. Louis Community College baking profile for curriculum, costs, and admissions details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Missouri schools offer baking or pastry programs?
Two: Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield and St. Louis Community College at Forest Park.
Does Missouri offer a baking and pastry associate degree?
Yes. Both colleges offer a 65-credit AAS: Culinary Arts: Baking and Pastry at Ozarks Tech and Baking and Pastry Arts at St. Louis Community College.
What is the shortest baking program in Missouri?
Ozarks Tech’s Baking Arts Certificate requires 31 credits over two semesters. St. Louis Community College has no baking certificate.
How much does a baking program cost in Missouri?
For in-district residents, estimated tuition and required fees are about $6,174 for Ozarks Tech’s certificate, about $8,255 for St. Louis Community College’s AAS, and about $12,636 for Ozarks Tech’s AAS, before course fees.
Are Missouri baking programs accredited by the American Culinary Federation?
Both colleges state that their baking AAS degrees are accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation. Confirm current status with the college or the ACF.
Program requirements and costs can change. Confirm all details with the school before applying.