Degree Overview: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Baking and Pastry Arts Management
Majors Overview September 21, 2014Receive information about a bachelor’s degree program in baking and pastry arts management and its education requirements, coursework, career choices, job and wage outlook, and continuing education and professional certification.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree Programs in Baking and Pastry Arts Management
Students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs in baking and pastry arts management are trained in business management as well as baking and making pastries. The first two years of study are spent teaching students rudimentary pastry and baking skills. During the final two years, the focus shifts to advanced techniques and topics relevant to running a business, such as finance, marketing, or personnel management.
An externship or internship at a bakery or restaurant is required in most programs, which also may include study abroad opportunities. Graduates can become adept in operating a dessert catering business, working in recipe development with a food manufacturer, managing a bakery, or running a hotel dessert kitchen.
Education Requirements
Admission criteria typically require incoming students to hold a GED certificate or a high school diploma, while some programs may require prospective students to hold an associate’s degree in pastry arts or a related field.
Coursework
Coursework in a bachelor’s degree program in baking and pastry arts management combines classroom instruction with hands-on experiences in a kitchen setting. Students are taught the skills necessary for producing high-quality desserts and acquire the knowledge needed to manage resources and people in business operations. Core coursework may include the following topic areas:
•Safety and sanitation
•Chocolate techniques
•Restaurant marketing
•Cakes
•Bread making
•Mathematics for cooks
•Accounting
•Personnel management in the food service industry
Career Choices
After they complete the degree program, graduates may seek leadership or management within a culinary establishment or bakery. Alternatively, they may want to begin their own pastry business. Graduates can seek job titles such as:
•Dessert caterer
•Pastry department manager
•Pastry chef
•Bakery manager
•Bakery owner
Job and Wage Outlook
A three percent decline in job growth has been predicted for food service managers over the 2010 – 2020 decade (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics); over the same period, chefs and head cooks are expected to witness a one percent decline in job growth. In 2012, food service managers earned an average annual wage of $47,960, while chefs and head cooks banked $42,480 (BLS). In November 2013, pastry chefs brought home an average annual wage of $30,927.
Graduates from the bachelor’s degree program may volunteer for industry certification such as credentials that the American Culinary Federation (ACF) offers; these include four levels of certification offered to pastry chefs, including one aimed at executive pastry chefs.
Applications are accepted only from chefs that have a minimum of three years’ experience overseeing a pastry operation. Applicants are also required to have supervised at least three employees and completed a minimum of 150 hours of continuing education. To obtain certification, candidates have to pass a practical exam and a written test comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions.
Various online continuing education programs are offered by the ACF, including programs in gluten-free cooking and personnel development. Certification requirements can also be met by chefs by completing several other ACF courses.
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