Many students pursuing degrees in the culinary arts specialize in one specific area, such as hospitality, seafood cooking or baking and pastry arts. Those looking to study baking have a variety of different programs, certificates and institutions to choose from when considering their future education.
Le Cordon Bleu Schools
As their name suggests, Le Cordon Bleu Schools of North America feature a classical French approach to the culinary arts. The schools are located in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas, and offer culinary, patisserie and baking and hospitality and restaurant management programs.
In addition to taking specific programs in baking (such as cake assembly and pastry-making classes), students in the patisserie and baking program take general education classes in things like English, math and public speaking. Graduates of the program are considered qualified to work as entry-level patisserie chefs in restaurants and catering companies. Different locations offer different levels of diplomas and certificates.
The Art Institutes
The Art Institutes are located in many different states, with baking programs available at campuses in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington, and in British Columbia, Canada. Graduates of the baking and pastry arts programs are encouraged to seek employment as entry-level line cooks, pastry cooks, pantry cooks or assistant bakers, depending upon what course of study they pursue. The schools offer online, night and weekend classes, continuing education and study-abroad opportunities, and tuition varies widely depending on what campus and what program you attend.
Colleges and Universities
A number of public and private colleges and universities offer baking programs as well. Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Stratford University in Woodbridge, Virginia, Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, Monroe College in the Bronx, New York and the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport are all examples.
Independent Culinary Schools
There are several individual culinary schools that are not affiliated with a larger group (like the Art Institutes or Le Cordon Bleu) and are not part of larger universities. These include the Connecticut Culinary Institute in Hartford, Connecticut, the Florida Culinary Institute in Orlando and the Kitchen Academy in Seattle, Washington. These institutes offer accredited degrees and certificates, but are not part of any nation-wide or international culinary institutions and usually only have a single main campus. These schools often advertise and recruit in their surrounding areas.
The CIA
One of the top culinary schools in the world, the Culinary Institute of America (often known as the CIA) has been training cooks in the culinary arts since 1946. The main campus is located in Hyde Park, New York, but the Institute maintains campuses in Greystone, California and San Antonio, Texas. Tuition varies from freshman year to senior year, but is roughly $12,000 per semester; 90% of students receive some form of financial aid. Depending on their course of study, baking students can earn a Bachelor of Professional Studies (B.P.S.) in Baking & Pastry Arts Management or an Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) in Baking & Pastry Arts. As part of both programs, baking students learn and work in the CIA's Apple Pie Bakery Cafe, a real bakery run by CIA students. Students also cap their studies with a 18-week paid externship at an approved CIA-associated establishment.
