San Jacinto College, a multi-campus district with its administrative home in Pasadena, teaches its baking and pastry program only at North Campus in northeast Houston. Classes meet in the Cosmetology and Culinary Center at 5800 Uvalde Road, where the 2026–27 catalog lists two Pastry Chef Specialty awards: a 39-credit Certificate of Technology and a 60-credit Associate of Applied Science.
The two credentials form a stacked pathway. The certificate’s three terms of pastry, cake decorating, and bakeshop management coursework make up the first half of the AAS plan, so a certificate graduate can add general education and marketing courses to finish the degree. San Jac also uses a simplified tuition model, charging one rate per credit hour with no separate lab, course, or technology fees.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | San Jacinto College |
| Location | North Campus, 5800 Uvalde Road, Houston, Texas |
| Credentials | Culinary Arts, Pastry Chef Specialty, AAS (3CULA-PC); Culinary Arts, Pastry Chef Specialty, Certificate of Technology (4CULA-PC) |
| Credits | 60 or 39 credits |
| Length | AAS: 2 years (five terms, including a summer term); certificate: 1.5 years (three terms) |
| Accreditation | American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC) |
| Admission | Open admission; no separate program application |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Both awards appear under Culinary Arts on San Jac’s culinary arts program page, alongside three general culinary credentials. The catalog notes that students can start at any point on the pathway and earn the certificate on the way to the degree.
Pastry Chef Specialty, Associate of Applied Science
The Pastry Chef Specialty AAS requires 60 credits. Its first three terms, including a summer term after the first year, match the certificate. The fourth and fifth terms add Composition I, Business and Professional Communication, a mathematics course, a humanities or fine arts course, a social and behavioral sciences or history or government course, Principles of Marketing, and Technical and Business Writing.
Pastry Chef Specialty, Certificate of Technology
The Pastry Chef Specialty Certificate of Technology totals 39 credits over three terms of 14, 16, and 9 credits. Beyond the pastry labs, it includes Hospitality Supervision, Principles of Food and Beverage Control, and Nutrition for the Food Service Professional. The capstone is either a baking and pastry practicum or Hospitality Management and Leadership.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Both awards share this pastry and bakeshop coursework:
- Fundamentals of Baking and Sanitation and Safety
- Cake Decorating I and II
- Quantity Bakeshop Production
- Chocolates and Confections
- Advanced Pastry Shop (4 credits)
- Plated Desserts
- Bakery Operations and Management
- Practicum in Baking and Pastry, or Hospitality Management and Leadership
Most PSTR courses combine two lecture hours with four lab hours a week. The practicum is an external learning experience at a business, and the catalog warns that some sites set their own immunization requirements. San Jac does not process exemptions to those rules.
Tuition and Additional Costs
San Jac’s 2026–27 tuition schedule charges $83 per credit for in-district students, $144 for out-of-district Texas residents, and $223 for out-of-state and international students. Under the simplified tuition model, these rates include all student fees, and the tuition and costs page lists mandatory fees as $0, with no lab, course, technology, or general service fees added.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-district tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Chef Specialty AAS | 60 | $4,980 | $8,640 | $13,380 |
| Pastry Chef Specialty Certificate of Technology | 39 | $3,237 | $5,616 | $8,697 |
Because there are no per-term fees, these totals do not depend on the number of terms. They exclude textbooks, uniforms, tools, parking, transportation, and living costs, as well as the extra $75 per credit San Jac charges for a course attempted a third time.
San Jac states that students pay for program-specific requirements such as uniforms, equipment, and special supplies, but the catalog does not publish a pastry kit or uniform price. The college’s cost-of-attendance table estimates $1,470 a year for books, materials, supplies, and equipment across all programs.
Admissions and Financial Aid
San Jacinto College is an open-admission institution. The catalog says the Pastry Chef Specialty program has no admission requirements beyond applying to the college and completing the enrollment steps, which start on the college’s How to Apply page. Some courses, such as Plated Desserts, carry reading and writing level prerequisites.
The financial aid section of the catalog lists Federal Pell Grants, FSEOG, the Texas Public Education Grant, and the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant, which applies to certificate and associate degree plans at two-year colleges. Direct Loans require half-time enrollment in a degree program. San Jac does not list aid eligibility by certificate, so certificate students should confirm it with Financial Aid Services.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
According to the catalog, graduates should be able to use the five primary mixing methods, temper egg products for custards, work with buttercreams and meringues, and apply sugar properties such as caramelization points. The culinary arts program page lists pastry chef among target careers and says the ACF-accredited culinary program prepares graduates for the ACF Certified Culinarian credential; pastry students should ask which ACF certification level fits them.
The AAS is a career and technical degree. Courses such as Composition I and Principles of Marketing may transfer individually, but students planning a bachelor’s degree should ask the receiving university which credits it accepts.
Which San Jac Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Pastry Chef Specialty Certificate of Technology | The full pastry lab sequence and supervision coursework in three terms, without general education |
| Pastry Chef Specialty AAS | The same pastry training plus communication, writing, math, and marketing courses for a two-year degree |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Which terms can new pastry students start in, and are PSTR labs offered in the evening?
- What uniform, knife kit, and tool list is required, and what does it usually cost?
- How are practicum sites assigned, and what immunizations do current sites require?
- Is the Certificate of Technology eligible for Pell Grants and other federal aid?
- Can I switch from the certificate to the AAS without repeating any courses?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with San Jacinto College before applying.