Walnut Hill College is a private hospitality college in the University City section of Philadelphia, founded in 1974 as The Restaurant School. Its Pastry Arts programs revolve around production: throughout the associate degree’s six Pastry Operations courses, students bake for the college’s open-to-the-public restaurants and its Pastry Shop, and the degree ends with a tuition-covered study tour of France.
The college awards an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Pastry Arts on a calendar of 10-week terms. Program facts here come from the 2026–27 Walnut Hill College catalog, and costs come from the college’s tuition and fees page for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 starts.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School type | Private college; accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) |
| Location | 4207 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Credentials | Pastry Arts Associate of Science; Pastry Arts Bachelor of Science |
| Total credits | 99.5 quarter credits (AS); 195.5 quarter credits (BS, including the associate-level work) |
| Length | AS: 18 months in six 10-week terms; BS: 36 months in twelve terms |
| Travel courses | Gastronomic Tour of France (AS); Hospitality Tour of England (BS) |
| 2026–27 charges | $10,825 per term in tuition and fees, or $32,475 per three-term academic year |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Both credentials are described on the college’s Pastry Arts page and in the 2026–27 catalog. Walnut Hill counts quarter credits, so its totals are not comparable to semester-credit programs at community colleges.
Pastry Arts Associate of Science
The associate degree requires 99.5 quarter credits and 1,500 program hours across six terms, which the catalog counts as 18 months. Pastry, culinary, and operations coursework is combined with the college’s core general education curriculum. Six Pastry Operations courses at five credits each account for 30 of the credits.
Pastry Arts Bachelor of Science
The bachelor’s degree totals 195.5 quarter credits and 3,145 hours over twelve terms, with the associate program forming the first six. Applicants to the bachelor’s level need an earned associate degree in a related program from Walnut Hill or another accredited institution. The upper terms add advanced pastry labs, management courses, bachelor’s general education, six internship requirements worth 24 credits, and a capstone in which students design and run a short-term restaurant concept.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Lab courses are short and specific, usually two quarter credits each, and run beside the Pastry Operations sequence. Catalog requirements include:
- Associate foundations: Pastry Techniques, Baking Science, Advanced Baking Science, Professional Bread Baking, and Cake Baking and Decorating
- Associate specialties: Custards, Mousses and Frozen Desserts; Chocolate and Confections; Advanced Pastry Decorations; European Torts and Gateaux; Wedding Cakes; and Pastry Plating and Presentation
- Pastry Operations 1–6: rotations through the production kitchens that supply the college’s restaurants and Pastry Shop
- Associate support courses: Sanitation, Culinary for Hospitality Professionals 1 and 2, Purchasing and Cost Controls, a wine course, and Pastry Proficiency Preparation
- Bachelor’s labs: Artisan Breads 1 and 2, Advanced Boulangerie 1 and 2, Celebration Cakes 1 and 2, The Art of the Chocolatier 1 and 2, Sugar Artistry, Advanced Confections, International Desserts, and Pastry Test Kitchen
- Bachelor’s management courses: Menu Planning, Marketing for Hospitality Professionals, Introduction to Hospitality Accounting, and Hospitality Operations Assessment
The Gastronomic Tour of France is a two-credit course built on a seven-day trip through Champagne and Burgundy. According to the catalog, tuition covers nearly all of the expenses, including airfare, ground transportation, hotels, and most meals. Bachelor’s students take a Hospitality Tour of England.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Walnut Hill charges one rate regardless of residency. For the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 starts, the tuition and fees page lists $9,200 in tuition per term plus a $1,300 lab fee, a $125 technology fee, and a $200 activity fee. That is $10,825 per term, or $32,475 for a three-term academic year. The college’s tuition sheet says this includes books and the travel courses.
| Program | Credits | Terms | Estimated tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Arts Associate of Science | 99.5 quarter credits | 6 | $64,950 |
| Pastry Arts Bachelor of Science (all twelve terms) | 195.5 quarter credits | 12 | $129,900 |
Each estimate is $10,825 multiplied by the number of terms. A student entering the bachelor’s program with an associate degree already in hand would pay for terms seven through twelve, or $64,950 at this rate. The college pledges to hold a student’s tuition rate steady through the planned course of study for those who stay continuously enrolled.
Not included are the $150 registration fee, the Pastry Arts uniform, chef coat, and equipment fee of $825 shown on the 2026–27 tuition sheet, kitchen shoes, and a $150 graduation fee per degree. With those three fees, the associate degree comes to about $66,075. Housing is optional and separate: the college lists $2,600 to $3,500 per term, and first-time residential students must carry a meal plan of $1,200 or $1,800 per term.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applicants need a high school diploma or equivalent, or must be on track to earn one before the start term. The catalog’s steps are an online application, a 250-word goal statement, high school and college transcripts, two letters of reference, and an interview that is usually held during a campus visit. SAT and ACT scores are optional. Review is rolling, and hospitality work experience is not required.
Walnut Hill participates in federal student aid, and its materials list Federal Pell Grants, Direct Loans, and Parent PLUS loans. All admitted students are reviewed for need-based and merit scholarships, and payment plans are per term or monthly.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Work experience at the associate level happens on campus through Pastry Operations. Bachelor’s students add six internship requirements at approved outside sites, which the catalog describes as area restaurants, bakeries, cake shops, and candy shops.
ACCSC is a national accreditor of career schools, so students who might later transfer elsewhere should ask the receiving college how it treats Walnut Hill’s quarter credits. The catalog lists the American Culinary Federation among the college’s professional memberships and does not claim ACF programmatic accreditation for Pastry Arts.
Which Walnut Hill Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Pastry Arts Associate of Science | An 18-month, full-time program with daily production work and a study tour of France |
| Pastry Arts Bachelor of Science | Three years of continuous study adding artisan bread, chocolate, sugar work, management courses, and internships |
| Associate first, bachelor’s later | A degree and work experience before deciding on six more terms |
| Transfer into the bachelor’s level | To build on a related associate degree earned at another accredited college |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- The 2026–27 catalog still prints an older tuition table. Will my enrollment agreement use the rates on the website?
- Which start terms are open for Pastry Arts, and what does a typical week of labs and Pastry Operations look like?
- What scholarship amounts do admitted pastry students commonly receive, and what is my net price?
- Which Tour of France costs are not covered by tuition?
- How do bachelor’s internships fit around classes, and are they paid?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Walnut Hill College before applying.