Del Mar College in Corpus Christi runs its baking programs out of the Hospitality and Culinary Institute on the Oso Creek Campus, a 59,561-square-foot building with kitchen labs and a restaurant open to the public. The Baking/Pastry programs are accredited as Exemplary by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission, a status the college says reflects full compliance across two accreditation periods.
Three credentials are listed under Baking/Pastry in the 2025–26 catalog, the most recent edition Del Mar has posted: a 60-credit Baking/Pastry AAS, a 32-credit Cook/Baker Level II Certificate, and a 12-credit Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award. Each longer option includes a required cooperative education course, so students log supervised industry hours before they finish.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Del Mar College |
| Location | Oso Creek Campus, 7002 Yorktown Blvd., Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Credentials | Baking/Pastry AAS; Cook/Baker Level II Certificate; Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award |
| Credits | 60; 32; or 12 credits |
| Program length | 76 weeks (AAS); 48 weeks (certificate); 12 weeks (award) |
| Accreditation | ACFEF Accrediting Commission, Exemplary status |
| Department | Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The college’s Baking/Pastry program page links to all three plans. The two Cook/Baker credentials are also listed under Culinary Arts (Chef Training), and their course choices let students lean toward either baking or cooking.
Baking/Pastry, Associate of Applied Science
The Baking/Pastry AAS totals 60 credits across a suggested five-semester plan. Advanced Pastry Shop comes early, in the second semester, and serves as a prerequisite for later courses such as Breads and Rolls, Cake Decorating I, and Quantity Bakeshop Production. Plated Desserts is the capstone.
General education includes Composition I, a speech course, a social and behavioral sciences elective, a creative arts or language, philosophy and culture elective, and a mathematics or life and physical sciences elective. Hospitality Management and Leadership and a food and beverage controls course round out the business side.
Cook/Baker Level II Certificate
The Cook/Baker Level II Certificate requires 32 credits over three semesters. A baking-focused student would choose Pies, Tarts, Teacakes, and Cookies over Garde Manger, Quantity Bakeshop Production over Management of Food Production and Service as the capstone, and the baking and pastry cooperative education course over its culinary counterpart.
Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award
The Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award is a single 12-credit semester: Basic Food Preparation, Sanitation and Safety, Fundamentals of Baking, and Nutrition for the Food Service Professional. All four courses also appear in the certificate and degree plans.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Pastry courses use the PSTR prefix. The AAS draws on these:
- Fundamentals of Baking
- Advanced Pastry Shop (4 credits)
- Pies, Tarts, Teacakes, and Cookies
- Breads and Rolls; Quantity Bakeshop Production (4 credits)
- Cake Decorating I, plus Chocolates and Confections or Cake Decorating II
- Plated Desserts (Capstone, 4 credits)
- Cooperative Education in Baking and Pastry Arts
The department’s internship page explains that cooperative education runs under a signed agreement between the workplace and the college. Students may track monthly hours by competency area and complete a résumé, cover letter, portfolio, or business plan, with instructor site visits.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Del Mar’s Summer and Fall 2026 tuition table matches the 2025–26 catalog rates. District residents pay $75 per credit in tuition plus $36 per credit in general use, building use, and matriculation fees, for $111 per credit. Out-of-district Texans add a $50 per-credit fee ($161), and out-of-state students pay $112 tuition plus the $36 in fees and the $50 out-of-district fee ($198). Every student also pays $85 per semester in instructional support and student services fees. Using the catalog’s semester counts:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking/Pastry AAS (5 semesters) | 60 | $7,085 | $10,085 | $12,305 |
| Cook/Baker Level II Certificate (3 semesters) | 32 | $3,807 | $5,407 | $6,591 |
| Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award (1 semester) | 12 | $1,417 | $2,017 | $2,461 |
Course laboratory fees of $8 to $72 apply to selected occupational courses and are not included, nor are the late registration fee, textbooks, uniforms, tools, or living costs.
The department’s program supplies and costs page estimates books at $1,157.73 for the AAS, $777.06 for the certificate, and $481.55 for the award, with $804.48 in other program costs for each. The bookstore sells a knife kit for $199.99, required for culinary labs, and a baking kit for $184.49, required for Fundamentals of Baking and all PSTR labs. Students also need two sets of uniforms with embroidered chef coats.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Applicants apply through ApplyTexas and provide an official high school transcript or equivalency scores, any college transcripts, and proof of Texas residency for resident rates. First-time college students complete a pre-assessment activity before taking the TSIA2 placement exam. Students 21 or younger must show a bacterial meningitis vaccination. The college posts registration dates each term, and the department schedules advising appointments by phone or an online request form.
Del Mar’s financial aid office accepts the FAFSA and lists scholarships through the college foundation. The college does not say which of the three baking credentials are Pell eligible, so students should ask before enrolling, especially in the 12-credit award.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Del Mar publishes program outcomes for the baking specialization. For 2024 it reports a 30.43% graduation rate and a 100% job placement rate. Culinary students have also joined a two-week exchange in Agen, France, through the Corpus Christi Sister City program.
The AAS is a career degree. Del Mar advises students planning to continue at a senior college to see an advisor about the receiving school’s requirements.
Which Del Mar Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award | One semester of kitchen and baking basics before committing further |
| Cook/Baker Level II Certificate | A three-semester mix of cooking and pastry with an industry placement |
| Baking/Pastry AAS | The full pastry sequence, a plated desserts capstone, and general education at an ACF Exemplary program |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which PSTR courses carry lab fees this year, and how much?
- What does the $804.48 in other program costs include beyond the knife and baking kits?
- How are cooperative education placements found, and are they paid?
- Is the Cook/Baker Occupational Skills Award eligible for Pell Grants?
- Will a 2026–27 catalog change any Baking/Pastry course requirements?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Del Mar College before applying.