Gateway Technical College, which serves Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth counties in southeastern Wisconsin, offers one baking credential: the 12-credit Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate (61-316-3). The 2026–27 curriculum sheet lays it out over two terms, with three courses in fall and one advanced baking course in spring.
What makes this certificate practical is how it fits inside Gateway’s culinary pathway. All four of its courses are also first-year requirements in the Culinary Assistant technical diploma and the Culinary Arts associate degree, so a student can finish the certificate and keep going without repeating coursework. Classes are scheduled on day tracks at the Racine and Elkhorn campuses.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Gateway Technical College (Wisconsin Technical College System) |
| Location | Racine and Elkhorn campuses (day schedules), Wisconsin |
| Credential | Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate (61-316-3) |
| Total credits | 12 credits in four courses |
| Typical length | Two terms: fall and spring |
| Entry | Fall, based on the published course sequence |
| Program area | Culinary Arts career pathway |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
Gateway lists the certificate on its Baking and Pastry Arts program page and places it alongside a Basic Cooking Skills certificate at the entry point of the culinary career pathway. There is no separate baking diploma or baking associate degree, so students who want more depth move into the general culinary credentials described below.
Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate
According to the 2026–27 curriculum sheet, the certificate prepares students to work as bakers and pastry specialists in restaurants and commercial baking operations. Its description names bread and pastry making, handling and storage, cake and pastry decorating, bakery operations, packaging and marketing, and counter display and service. Students must finish with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
Continuing Into Culinary Assistant or Culinary Arts
The 26-credit Culinary Assistant technical diploma includes all four certificate courses, leaving 14 more credits in intermediate cooking, garde manger, math, and communication. The 60-credit Culinary Arts associate degree also includes them. The certificate sheet states that students continuing into the degree need 48 additional credits. Gateway lists both longer programs as financial aid eligible.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The certificate has four required courses, taken in this order:
- Culinary Basics (316-150, 4 credits, fall): knife skills, stocks, soups, sauces, vegetables, and starches
- Basic Baking (316-151, 4 credits, fall): cookies, cakes, breads, pies, and custards, plus the functions of baking ingredients
- Sanitation and Hygiene (316-170, 1 credit, fall): foodborne illness, contamination, and sanitation law
- Advanced Baking (316-154, 3 credits, spring): pastry doughs, intricate pastries, and finished-product standards from design through packaging and display
Culinary Basics and Basic Baking must be taken with Sanitation and Hygiene, and Advanced Baking requires Basic Baking first. Students must earn a C or better in every 316 culinary course to move to the next one. The sheet notes that Gateway courses may be offered in person, by video conference, or online, so ask which format the baking labs use.
Tuition and Additional Costs
Gateway’s 2026–27 tuition and fees page lists post-secondary and vocational tuition at $157.45 per credit for Wisconsin residents and $236.18 per credit for out-of-state students. Every student also pays a $10.23 per-credit activity fee and a $5.50 per-credit parking and technology fee. Other fees include a $6 standard material fee per class and $4.50 per semester for student accident insurance. Using the four courses and two terms on the curriculum sheet:
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate (2 terms) | 12 | $2,111 | $3,056 |
This estimate covers tuition, per-credit fees, the $6 standard material fee for each course, and accident insurance for two semesters. It leaves out the $30 nonrefundable application fee, the $78 digital access fee charged only for participating courses, textbooks, and any extra material fees. Gateway notes that some courses have more than the standard material fee, and it does not publish a cost estimate for this certificate. The college estimates $6,102 in tuition and fees for the 26-credit Culinary Assistant diploma, which uses the same four courses and works out to more per credit than this calculation. Lab fees may therefore push the certificate total higher.
A knife kit and uniform are required for all 316 culinary courses. Gateway does not list their prices on the certificate page and refers students to an advisor, so ask about the cost before the fall term.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Students apply online and pay the $30 application fee. Gateway requires applicants to review the program’s technical standards on its forms page and acknowledge them in the online application. The curriculum sheets for the culinary diploma and degree also list minimum academic requirements: a 2.6 high school GPA, 12 prior college credits with a 2.0 GPA, or valid placement assessments. The certificate sheet does not list those requirements, so confirm whether they apply to certificate-only students.
Gateway marks the Culinary Assistant diploma and Culinary Arts degree as financial aid eligible, but the certificate page does not say whether the 12-credit certificate qualifies. Students who need federal aid should ask the financial aid office about the certificate itself, or about enrolling in the diploma and earning the certificate along the way. Gateway also offers credit for prior learning.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
Gateway’s culinary pathway map lists cake decorator, bakery clerk, and production baker as possible jobs for certificate graduates. The Culinary Arts program page says degree students gain more than 400 hours of culinary experience through event catering, fine dining, and food production, and it names lead baker as one career goal. Gateway does not state ACF accreditation for its culinary programs.
Beyond Gateway, the pathway map says students can transfer up to 60 credits through articulation agreements with schools such as UW-Stout, UW-Parkside, and Carthage College. Those agreements are built around the associate degree, not the certificate alone.
Which Gateway Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate | A focused 12-credit start in baking and pastry over one fall and one spring term |
| Culinary Assistant technical diploma | The same baking courses plus more cooking, in a 26-credit diploma listed as financial aid eligible |
| Culinary Arts associate degree | A 60-credit degree covering baking, cooking, internship, and kitchen management, with transfer options |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- Will my baking labs be held at the Racine or Elkhorn campus, and are evening sections offered?
- Is the 12-credit certificate eligible for federal financial aid on its own?
- What are the material fees for Culinary Basics, Basic Baking, and Advanced Baking?
- How much do the required knife kit and uniform cost, and where are they purchased?
- Do the placement or GPA requirements for the culinary diploma also apply to certificate students?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Gateway Technical College before applying.