Baking/Pastry Arts Program

Baking/Pastry Arts

Program Number: 31-314-1

• One-year Technical Diploma
• Hospitality Program Cluster
• Center for Business and Applied Arts
• Program offered at the following campuses:
  • Truax, Madison
• For information call: (608) 246-6003

About the Program

View the Baking and Pastry Arts Webcast

The Baking/Pastry Arts Program provides students with a comprehensive hands-on experience in baking and pastry arts. Students will obtain the practical and theoretical training necessary to produce quality bakery products from scratch. An emphasis is placed on decorative pastry arts including cake decorating, sugar and chocolate work, and plated dessert presentations. Through their experiences in the bakery store, students will learn effective merchandising and sales training techniques.

This program is designed to be completed in two semesters plus the summer internship. Due to the limited availability of the courses and the small size of the program, it is difficult for students to attend on a part-time basis. Requests to attend on a part-time basis must be approved by the program lead teacher before entering the program.

The program is accredited by the Retail Bakers of America and the American Culinary Federation Educational Institute. After completion of the B/PA program and with 1000 hours of work experience in the baking industry, students can take the Retail Bakers of America’s Certified Journey Baker written exam. This is the beginning level of certification leading up to a Master Baker qualification. The purpose of RBA certification is to raise the professional standards and verify the work, skill and knowledge professional bakers bring to the marketplace and improve job opportunities and income for certified bakers and decorators.

Graduates of this program typically earn $10 to $14 per hour.

Program outcomes state what a graduate needs to be able to do with the essential knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors acquired in a specific MATC program. The program outcomes communicate expectations to students, as well as other academic institutions and potential employers. The identification and assessment of program outcomes support MATC's efforts in documenting student learning and provide a context for the faculty's academic planning.

Admissions Requirements for All Applications Submitted for the Current Academic Year

• High school diploma or GED. A COMPASS or equivalent assessment test is required prior to registration. Competency in Windows, internet and basic word processing is necessary for success in this program.

  Students must have appropriate competency in math, reading and writing to succeed in this program. If remedial course work is recommended, it is suggested that these courses be completed before beginning the Baking/Pastry Arts Program courses.

  Potential students must be physically able to lift 50 pounds on a routine basis and stand for a minimum of eight hours per day. They should also have good communication and social skills to be successful in this program.

Career Potential

• Bakery Worker/Assistant Pastry Chef
  May work in a variety of commercial food service establishments such as retail bakeries, supermarket bakeries, restaurants or hotels, hospitals or nursing homes, catering operations and specialty shops.

With additional education and/or work experience, graduates may find employment as:

• Baker
• Bakery Manager
• Commercial Cake Decorator
• Bakery Owner