Baking & Pastry Schools, Programs and Training

Baking and Pastry Chefs Know the Secret Ingredient: Professional Training

Don't you love making people ooh and ahh over your amazing baked goods? With some professional baking and pastry training, you can get the experience you need to land a job making incredible desserts and breads every day. Baking and pastry chefs are more likely to find employment if they have a culinary arts degree or some specialized training like cake baking or vegan pastry. There are hundreds of programs to choose from depending on your interests. Baking and pastry training can lead to a career running your own wedding cake business, owning a cafe, or managing a successful bakery franchise, for starters. The degrees and certificates available require several months or years to complete and each offer different advantages.

Some certificates can be earned in under nine months.

The associate's degree can be realized in two years and allows you to focus on certain techniques and skills such as catering and French pastry.

The bachelor's degree takes four years and offers an even greater depth of training. This kind of big-picture degree can give you the skills to run a large food service operation.

To be a notch above the rest in the world of executive chefs, consider a master's degree.

Baking and Pastry Professions on the Rise

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that there should be steady growth in employment for chefs through 2018, in part because consumers are demanding made-from-scratch food that's more likely to be prepared by professionally trained chefs. While the income for chefs can vary greatly depending on location and setting, executive chefs in upscale facilities are likely to earn the most. The median annual salary for chefs and head cooks in 2008 was $38,770. Make the most of your passion for making delicious food. Find the right degree or certificate to give you all the training you'll need to land a great job in a growing industry.