Columbus State Community College teaches baking and pastry in Mitchell Hall, its hospitality and culinary building on the downtown Columbus campus. The building includes teaching kitchens and a student-operated restaurant and bakery café, and degree students complete scheduled retail work shifts there as part of their capstone.
Two credentials carry a baking focus: a 17-credit Baking Certificate and a 61–62 credit Hospitality Management AAS with a Baking and Pastry Arts major. The college says the AAS major is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Educational Foundation Accrediting Commission. Details below come from Columbus State’s online 2026–27 catalog.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Columbus State Community College |
| Location | Mitchell Hall, 250 Cleveland Ave., Columbus, Ohio |
| Credentials | Hospitality Management AAS, Baking and Pastry Arts major (HOSP.BPSTRY.AAS); Baking Certificate (BAKING.ICRT) |
| Credits | 61–62 or 17 credits |
| Length | Five semesters for the AAS; three semesters for the certificate in the catalog plans |
| Accreditation | AAS major accredited by the ACFEF Accrediting Commission |
| Admission | Open admission |
| Delivery | On campus |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Both credentials belong to the Hospitality Management department. The certificate’s baking courses all appear in the AAS, and the degree plan notes that students reach the certificate once they finish Pastries II in the fourth semester.
Hospitality Management AAS, Baking and Pastry Arts Major
The Baking and Pastry Arts AAS runs across five semesters. Beyond the baking sequence, it includes food production and dining room service, food purchasing, financial analysis, supervision and quality management, and a technical elective. General education covers composition, business communication, nutrition, earth science, business ethics, and one course each in social science and humanities. The college says graduates can go on to meet ACF requirements for the Certified Pastry Culinarian credential.
Baking Certificate
The Baking Certificate requires seven courses totaling 17 credits: Baking Principles, Sanitation and Safety/Facilities Design, Professional Kitchen Fundamentals, a hospitality or business math course, Professional Baking, Pastries I, and Pastries II. The catalog lists careers such as assistant baker, pastry cook, and bakery manager, and states that the credits can apply to the associate degree.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The baking and pastry sequence shared by both credentials includes:
- Baking Principles (2 credits): terminology, ingredient functions, recipe adjustment, and costing
- Professional Baking (3 credits): quick breads, cakes, cookies, yeast-raised breads, and whole grain and artisan breads
- Pastries I (3 credits): specialty cakes and cookies, pies, tarts, choux paste, meringues, custards, creams, and sauces
- Pastries II (3 credits): plated desserts, European-style tortes, petits fours, specialty cakes, and decorative elements
- Sanitation and Safety/Facilities Design (1 credit) and Professional Kitchen Fundamentals (2 credits)
- Capstone Baking Operations Practicum (2 credits, AAS only), held in the student-run restaurant, bakery café, and catering services
Students who pass the ServSafe exam requirements in the sanitation course qualify for the NRAEF ServSafe Food Safety Manager certification. Scheduling matters: the catalog lists Pastries I only in spring and summer and Pastries II only in autumn. The college’s printable 2026–27 catalog PDF shows older plans of 14 credits for the certificate and 59 for the AAS, so confirm the current totals with an advisor.
Tuition and Additional Costs
For Autumn 2026 through Summer 2027, Columbus State’s fee information page lists $202.93 per credit for Ohio residents and $415.04 per credit for non-Ohio U.S. residents, both including the general fee. A Technology and Facilities fee applies in autumn and spring only: $60 for 4–9 credits, $120 for 10–14 credits, and nothing for 1–3 or 15 or more credits. Using the catalog semester plans, these estimates include $120 of that fee for the certificate and $420–$480 for the AAS:
| Program | Credits | Estimated Ohio resident tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality Management AAS, Baking and Pastry Arts (5 semesters) | 61–62 | $12,799–$13,062 | $25,737–$26,212 |
| Baking Certificate (3 semesters) | 17 | $3,570 | $7,176 |
Excluded from these figures are the one-time $50 Application, Records, and ID fee, course lab fees, textbooks, uniforms, tools, and living costs. Franklin County residents may qualify for a $20 rebate of the Technology and Facilities fee each autumn and spring semester.
Course listings in the online catalog show hospitality lab fees that add up quickly. The certificate’s six HOSP courses carry $515 in fees, led by $125 for Professional Kitchen Fundamentals and $120 each for Professional Baking, Pastries I, and Pastries II. The AAS’s required HOSP courses total about $845 before the technical elective and general education fees.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Both programs are open admission. The Get Started guide says the application is free and online. Admitted students then set up their student email, log in to Workday, apply for financial aid, submit placement documents, and complete orientation before registering. The certificate lists placement into Mathematics for Hospitality and Culinary Arts as a requirement, and both credentials require a minimum 2.0 GPA.
Federal aid at Columbus State covers only courses required for a student’s declared program. The college does not list Pell eligibility program by program, so certificate students should confirm grant eligibility with Student Central. The certificate plan also encourages students to verify summer financial aid eligibility.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
According to the college, the AAS prepares graduates for work in independent and in-store bakeries, pastry shops, commercial bakeries, restaurants, and hotels. Its learning outcomes add supervision, financial controls, and marketing to baking production. Degree students complete two retail work shifts per week in Mitchell Hall, plus seminar hours, for eight weeks.
The catalog lists a transfer agreement with Franklin University that applies the AAS toward a Bachelor of Science in Applied Management. It also notes that Mathematics for Hospitality and Culinary Arts may not transfer to other colleges, so students planning a bachelor’s degree may want the business math option instead.
Which Columbus State Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking Certificate | A short, lab-focused sequence in bread, cakes, and pastries that can later count toward the degree |
| Hospitality Management AAS, Baking and Pastry Arts | An ACF-accredited degree with retail bakery café experience, supervision coursework, and general education |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Are the current totals 17 and 61–62 credits, as the online catalog shows, or the lower totals in the printable catalog?
- If I start in spring, how long will it take to reach Pastries II, which runs only in autumn?
- Which technical elective do most baking students take?
- What uniforms, knife kit, and tools do baking students need?
- Is the Baking Certificate eligible for Pell Grants on its own?
- How are capstone retail shifts scheduled around work?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Columbus State Community College before applying.