Baking and Pastry Arts

The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Baking and Pastry Arts program is designed to teach baking and pastry techniques and fundamentals associated with that area of the culinary industry. Emphasis is on skills required for positions in commercial operations. Instruction includes principles for preparation, storage and serving of bakery products, study of ingredients, preparation of classical and artisan breads, rich yeast doughs and edible centerpieces; decorative showpieces and special occasion cakes; basic business operation of a retail bakery.

Details

Field of Interest
Business, Entrepreneurialism and Management
Degree Type
Associate in Applied Science (AAS)
Academic Plan
Baking and Pastry Arts (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
3219
Total credits required
60
Catalog Year
2025-2026
Effective Term
Fall 2025
Admission criteria

Formal application and acceptance into the program is required.

Notes

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.

Students must obtain a Maricopa County Food Handlers Card before the start of required courses, and must maintain the card throughout the program.

What You'll Learn
  • Describe principles and practice techniques for preparation, storage and serving bakery products to include breads, cakes, pies, pastries, fillings, icings and cookies.
  • Identify basic ingredients and their functions in the baking production process including flours, sugar, fats and liquids.
  • Describe and implement safety practices critical to a commercial baking environment to include work with specialized equipment and high temperature products.
  • Examine the functions of bakeshop organization, large, small and specialty equipment uses and requirements, and develop a plan for a retail bakery concept.
  • Demonstrate uses of culinary math in a bakeshop to include weights, measures, conversions, food costing, pricing and practical applications.
  • Demonstrate and describe characteristics for production of French pastry, torts, custards, souffle, crepes and other classical desserts.
  • Describe and produce a variety of classical and artisan breads, to include classic breakfast pastries utilizing laminated, sweet and yeast doughs.
  • Identify, describe and apply techniques for production of decorative work applied to showpieces, special occasion and wedding cakes to include the use of pastillage, sugar work, royal icing, gumpaste, chocolate and fondant.
  • Apply proper techniques for creation of special occasions, wedding cakes, chocolate pieces, sugar pieces.
  • Utilize and describe principles for production of plated desserts, frozen desserts, chocolates, ice creams, mousses, Bavarians, application for combinations of multiple items and techniques.
Career Statistics

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based wages* for this degree. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.

Bakers
$32,450
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
$56,550
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
$57,010
Cooks, Private Household
$43,260
Cooks, Restaurant
$33,120
Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
$73,950
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
$40,830
Food Batchmakers
$35,180
Food Preparation Workers
$30,400
Food Service Managers
$74,870

There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:

  • Cooks, All Other

* Career and wage information provided by Pipeline AZ using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources. Sources

Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Degree Progress Report Tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.
  • Consult with your faculty mentor or academic advisor to determine educational requirements, including possible university transfer options, for your chosen career field.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
FYE101 or
FYE103		 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3
CUL113 Commercial Baking Techniques 3
CUL115 or
ServSafe Certification		 Food Service Sanitation or ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification 2
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3
MA Mathematics MAT112 or any approved general education course from the Mathematics area
Recommend MAT14+ or MAT15+ for students seeking university transfer. 		MA 3–6
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL120 Food Costing, Purchasing and Inventory Control 3
CUL127 Classical Desserts 3
CUL137 Specialty Breads and Breakfast Pastry 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3
SQ or
SG		 Natural Sciences Quantitative or Natural Sciences General SQ or SG 4

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL215 Advanced Pastry Arts 3
CUL217 or
CUL219		 Specialty Cakes or Professional Pastry Techniques 3
COM225 or
COM230		 Public Speaking or Small Group Communication L or SB 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking L 0–3
RE 3
RE 3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL119 Bakery Operations 3
CUL217 or
CUL219		 Specialty Cakes or Professional Pastry Techniques 3
SB Social-Behavioral Sciences SB 3
RE 3
RE 3
RE 1–3

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
FYE101 or
FYE103		 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3
CUL115 or
ServSafe Certification		 Food Service Sanitation or ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification 2
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL113 Commercial Baking Techniques 3
MA Mathematics MAT112 or any approved general education course from the Mathematics area
Recommend MAT14+ or MAT15+ for students seeking university transfer. 		MA 3–6
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL120 Food Costing, Purchasing and Inventory Control 3
CUL127 Classical Desserts 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking L 0–3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL137 Specialty Breads and Breakfast Pastry 3
CUL215 Advanced Pastry Arts 3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SQ or
SG		 Natural Sciences Quantitative or Natural Sciences General SQ or SG 4
CUL217 or
CUL219		 Specialty Cakes or Professional Pastry Techniques 3

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
COM225 or
COM230		 Public Speaking or Small Group Communication L or SB 3
RE 3
CUL217 or
CUL219		 Specialty Cakes or Professional Pastry Techniques 3

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CUL119 Bakery Operations 3
SB Social-Behavioral Sciences SB 3
RE 3

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
RE 3
RE 3
RE 1–3

Restricted Electives

Students should choose 3 to 13 credits from the following list of courses to complete a minimum of 60 credits for the AAS degree.

EPS+++++ Any EPS Entrepreneurial Studies courses 1-10
MGT+++++ Any MGT Management courses 1-10
SBS+++++ Any SBS Small Business courses 1-10

Course Area Key
  • FYC = First Year Composition
  • HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
  • L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
  • MA = Mathematics
  • SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
  • SG = Natural Sciences General
  • SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s official curriculum documentation for additional details regarding the requirements of this award (https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm13?id=16452807).

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.