Clark College in Vancouver teaches baking and pastry at the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute, a main-campus facility with a production baking lab, a retail bakery, and a student-run restaurant. Two credentials are listed in the 2026–27 catalog: the 42-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals certificate of achievement and the 104-credit Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Management associate in applied technology (AAT).
The certificate is the first year of the degree. Both begin with the same six baking courses, so certificate graduates can keep going without repeating coursework. Clark sits just across the Columbia River from Portland, and residents of qualifying Oregon border counties, including Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas, may pay the Washington resident tuition rate.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Clark College |
| Location | Vancouver, Washington (main campus, Gaiser Hall) |
| Credentials | Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Management AAT (BPAPBAPT); Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals certificate of achievement (BPABPC20) |
| Credits | 104 or 42 quarter credits |
| Length | 7 quarters for the AAT; 3 quarters for the certificate (college program maps) |
| Mapped start | Fall quarter |
| Delivery | In person |
| Facility | Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
The baking credentials appear with the cuisine programs under Culinary Arts in the Clark College catalog. The Fall 2026 schedule lists both first-year and second-year baking courses, all taught in the Gaiser Hall baking kitchen.
Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Management AAT
The Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Management AAT requires 104 credits. That includes 89 PBAK credits and 15 general education credits: College Essentials plus a choice of technical writing or English composition, applied computation or statistics, and management or professional self-development.
During the second year, students run production for the retail store, handle desserts and breads for the restaurant, and prepare a judged capstone display. The program ends with a five-week externship at an approved bakeshop.
Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals Certificate of Achievement
The Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals certificate totals 42 credits in six PBAK courses and has no general education requirement. On the college’s program map, it takes three quarters at 14 credits each. It posts to the transcript automatically once requirements are met.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
Courses come in pairs: a 9-credit lab course and a 5-credit companion course taken together each quarter. The PBAK courses include:
- Artisan Breads and Early Morning Product
- Viennoiserie; and Cookies, Brownies, Bars and Quick Breads
- Cakes, Desserts and Tortes; and Retail Operations and Barista
- Applied Professional Development (AAT only)
- Production Baking and Cake Decorating (AAT only)
- Pastry Chef/Restaurant Baking; and Retail/Merchandising, Inventory/Purchasing (AAT only)
- Capstone Project and Industry Internship (AAT only)
In the Fall 2026 schedule, most baking labs meet Monday through Thursday during the morning and early afternoon, and the retail sections begin at 6 a.m. The AAT map includes a summer quarter.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Clark’s 2026–27 tuition rate schedule is a quarterly table that already includes the $7.25-per-credit facilities, technology, and matriculation fees and a student activities fee. For Washington residents and Oregon border county residents, the lower-division rate runs $141.01 per credit for up to 10 credits, which comes to $1,410.10, then adds about $73 for each credit from 11 through 18. Nonresident and international students pay $354.99 per credit for up to 10 credits.
The estimates below use the quarter-by-quarter credits on the 2026–27 program maps: 16, 19, 14, 12, 19, 14, and 10 credits for the AAT, and 14 credits in each of three quarters for the certificate. The 2026–27 rates are applied to every quarter.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Management AAT (7 quarters) | 104 | $12,468 | $28,155 |
| Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals certificate (3 quarters) | 42 | $5,107 | $11,632 |
The out-of-state figures use the nonresident and international rate. U.S. citizens and permanent residents who live in Washington but do not yet meet residency rules may qualify for the Washington Non-Resident Waiver. On the same plans, that rate works out to about $16,718 for the AAT and $6,888 for the certificate. Oregon border county residents file a separate waiver form.
These totals do not cover books, supplies, uniforms, or living costs. Clark says some courses carry lab or course fees, but the Fall 2026 class listings for PBAK courses do not show fee amounts. The baking uniform and equipment list includes logo shirts and chef coats, pinstripe pants, aprons, skull caps, non-skid black shoes, a thermometer, a digital scale, and two textbooks: On Baking and Hamelman’s Bread. Prices are not listed.
Admissions and Financial Aid
According to the culinary admission requirements page, applicants complete the Clark College application and meet the listed English and math placement levels. They must also show a valid Washington State Food Worker Card by the end of the first week of class. First-year baking courses also carry math and English placement prerequisites. The Fall 2026 listing for Artisan Breads is marked as requiring department consent. Clark posts new student orientation dates on the program page.
Clark’s financial aid section of the catalog says students in an eligible degree or certificate program can apply for aid through the FAFSA or WASFA. Options include the Pell Grant and the Washington College Grant. Clark does not say whether each baking credential is aid-eligible.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Clark’s baking program page names pastry chef, lead baker, bakery manager, and food business owner as career goals. Students also staff a public retail bakery in Gaiser Hall that sells their breads, pastries, and custom cakes. In a 2023 news release, Clark said every baking student takes the Retail Bakers of America certified journey baker exam as part of the curriculum. Ask whether that is still the case.
The AAT is a technical degree, not a transfer degree. The degree options page points graduates to Clark’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management and mentions transfer to Washington State University Vancouver or other four-year schools. Choosing ENGL& 101 and MATH& 146 instead of the applied options may help if a bachelor’s degree is the goal.
Which Clark College Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals certificate | A three-quarter program focused only on bread, viennoiserie, cookies, cakes, and retail skills |
| Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Management AAT | A second year of production, restaurant baking, cake decorating, merchandising, a capstone, and an externship |
| Certificate first, then AAT | A stopping point after year one, with the option to continue without repeating PBAK courses |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Can I start in a quarter other than fall, and how does department consent for PBAK 110 work?
- Do any PBAK courses carry lab or supply fees, and how much do uniforms, tools, and textbooks usually cost?
- Is the Baking and Pastry Arts Fundamentals certificate eligible for Pell Grant and Washington College Grant funding?
- Do I qualify for the Oregon border county waiver or the Washington Non-Resident Waiver?
- Is the Retail Bakers of America certified journey baker exam still part of the program?
- How are externship bakeshops chosen?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Clark College before applying.