Milwaukee Area Technical College teaches baking at its Downtown Milwaukee Campus, where students make the pastries and breads sold at the college’s 6th Street Café and 6th Street Bakery. MATC offers three for-credit baking options: the 9-credit Baking & Pastry Skills Essentials badge, the 30-credit Baking Production technical diploma, and the 60-credit Baking and Pastry Arts associate degree.
All three share one course sequence, and every diploma course counts toward the degree. According to MATC’s program flyer, the associate degree is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC). Details below come from MATC’s online catalog pages and its 2026–27 tuition and fee schedule.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) |
| Location | Downtown Milwaukee Campus, 700 W. State St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Credentials | Baking and Pastry Arts associate degree (10-314-1); Baking Production technical diploma (31-314-2); Baking & Pastry Skills Essentials badge (05-314-1) |
| Credits | 60; 30; or 9 credits |
| Length | Four semesters; two semesters; badge length not published |
| Start dates | August or January for the degree and diploma |
| Delivery | In person |
| Hands-on setting | Student-run 6th Street Café and 6th Street Bakery |
Baking and Pastry Program Options
MATC places its baking programs in the Creative Arts, Design and Media pathway. The three credentials form a ladder, so students can start small and add courses without repeating work.
Baking and Pastry Arts Associate Degree
The Baking and Pastry Arts associate degree covers artisan breads, pastries, celebration cakes, confections, and showpieces over 60 credits. The final semester includes a 5-credit Café Operations course, and students prepare the items served in the 6th Street Café. MATC’s 2025–26 program flyer states that the degree is ACFEFAC accredited and that students who complete its technical coursework receive the ACF Certified Pastry Culinarian title.
Baking Production Technical Diploma
The Baking Production technical diploma is a 30-credit, two-semester program aimed at jobs in retail and commercial bakeries. Its outcomes include safe use of bakery tools, scaling and portion control, mixing batters and doughs, and producing breads, rolls, layer cakes, tortes, petit fours, and cookies. It also carries a one-credit field experience course.
Baking & Pastry Skills Essentials Badge
The Baking & Pastry Skills Essentials badge is a digital credential made up of four college-level courses totaling 9 credits. Students earn it by completing each course with a C or better. MATC notes that badge tuition is paid by the student, while financial aid may be available once a student moves into a diploma or degree.
Curriculum and Baking Courses
The degree’s baking and pastry coursework includes:
- Basic Baking Techniques and Baking Principles and Ingredient Functions (3 credits each)
- Artisan Breads, and Specialty Baking and Pastry Techniques (3 credits each)
- Healthy and Natural Baking (2 credits)
- Cake Decorating, Icing and Fondant (3 credits), and Baking and Classical Cakes (2 credits)
- Hotel and Restaurant Dessert Production (2 credits)
- Chocolate, Confections and Sugar Work (3 credits)
- Café Operations (5 credits) and Field Experience in Baking and Pastry Arts (1 credit)
- Food Service Sanitation, Nutrition for Culinary Arts, and Culinary Math and Cost Control
The diploma draws on the degree’s first-year baking courses and adds written communication, oral communication, and math. Degree students continue with culinary fundamentals, garde manger, stocks and sauces, hospitality supervision, and general education in social science and psychology. The badge uses Basic Baking Techniques, Baking Principles, Food Service Sanitation, and an introduction to the food service industry.
Tuition and Additional Costs
MATC’s 2026–27 tuition and fees list $183.10 per credit for Wisconsin residents and $261.83 per credit for out-of-state students in diploma and associate degree courses. These rates already include the academic support, student activity, graduation assessment, and transportation fees. MATC also charges a $6 minimum material fee per course, plus $9 for the student ID, $7 for student healthcare, and $4.50 for mandatory accident insurance each semester. Estimates below use the published four-semester degree plan and two-semester diploma plan. Because MATC does not publish a badge length, that estimate assumes one term.
| Program | Credits | Estimated in-state tuition and fees | Estimated out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking and Pastry Arts associate degree (25 courses, 4 semesters) | 60 | $11,218 | $15,942 |
| Baking Production technical diploma (12 courses, 2 semesters) | 30 | $5,606 | $7,968 |
| Baking & Pastry Skills Essentials badge (4 courses, 1 term assumed) | 9 | $1,692 | $2,401 |
These totals leave out the $2 application processing fee, parking, textbooks (MATC budgets about $200 per course), and any course fees above the $6 minimum.
Degree and diploma students must also buy a pastry tool kit and uniform, according to the Baking Production program flyer. MATC does not publish a price for either item, so ask the program before budgeting.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Both the degree and the diploma require a high school diploma or equivalent. Program flyers add two readiness expectations: the ability to lift up to 50 pounds and the purchase of the tool kit and uniform. Students start through MATC’s admissions process online or at a campus Admissions Center, and they must be admitted to a program before the semester begins to receive financial aid. The college posts deadlines on its Cost and Aid Deadlines page.
MATC lists both the Baking and Pastry Arts degree and the Baking Production diploma as financial aid eligible, using FAFSA school code 003866. The badge is not: students pay for badge courses themselves, so those planning to continue should meet with a pathway advisor before registering.
Career Preparation and Transfer Considerations
MATC says diploma graduates typically work in retail or commercial bakeries, where employers expect them to use equipment safely, mix batters and doughs, and decorate baked goods. The degree adds supervision, cost control, and front-of-house café experience for students aiming at lead or management roles. Students who finish the degree’s technical coursework also receive the ACF Certified Pastry Culinarian title, according to the college’s flyer.
MATC states that the Associate in Applied Science will transfer to one or more four-year institutions. General education courses in English, math, social science, and psychology are the most likely to move, so students with bachelor’s plans should have a receiving school review their credits early.
Which MATC Pathway May Fit You?
| Pathway | May fit students who want |
|---|---|
| Baking & Pastry Skills Essentials badge | A short, 9-credit test of baking basics that counts toward longer credentials |
| Baking Production technical diploma | A financial aid eligible, two-semester route into retail or commercial bakery work |
| Baking and Pastry Arts associate degree | ACF-accredited training in cakes, confections, and café operations plus supervision and general education |
Questions to Ask Before Applying
- What do the pastry tool kit and uniform cost, and when must they be purchased?
- Which baking courses carry material or supply fees above the $6 minimum?
- How does the semester sequence change for a January start?
- Where does the Field Experience in Baking and Pastry Arts course take place?
- Does the degree still hold ACFEFAC accreditation for the 2026–27 year?
Program details and costs can change. Confirm current requirements with Milwaukee Area Technical College before applying.