How Much Does Baking School Cost?
If you want to be a baker, it’s always beneficial to go to baking school and get training before proceeding to look for a job at a restaurant, bakeshop or specialty stores. A certificate or degree will prove to employers that you already have the skills to make breads, pastries and desserts. If you are contemplating on going to baking school, cost is no doubt at the top of your mind. Tuition fees, books and supplies and your living expenses as you work towards becoming a baker are not going to be cheap and you need to be financially prepared beforehand.
The more popular baking and culinary arts programs are mostly offered by private institutions so the cost of tuition and other fees is usually the same whether the student is a resident of the state where the school is located or not. There are still public colleges that do offer programs in baking and pastry arts.
The total cost of obtaining an associate degree in a baking school can range from about $10,000 to more than $40,000 a year while a bachelor’s degree program can total anywhere from $35,000 to more than $100,000 a year. The more affordable associate degree programs in baking and pastry arts are offered at technical and community colleges. For example, at the Navajo Technical College, the cost of tuition and fees, room and board and books and supplies for in-state students is $9,470 while for out-of-state students, it is $10,670. At Westmoreland County Community College, the in-state cost is $9,790 a year and $12,580 for out-of-state students.
Associate degrees in this field in some of the well-known schools are more expensive. For example, at the Culinary Institute of America, the annual cost is $37,950 while at The Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Pasadena, the yearly cost for an associate degree is $20,054. At Sullivan University, it is $28,890.
One of the more popular bachelor’s degrees in baking and pastry arts is offered by Johnson & Wales University Providence. The yearly cost to attend, which includes tuition and fees, room and board and books and supplies, is $39,396. At The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, the yearly cost is $35,020. At the Culinary Institute of America’s New York campus, the yearly cost (two semesters) for a degree program is around $40,000. This covers tuition and other fees, room and board and supplies.
Certificate programs aren’t necessarily cheaper but they do provide students with the skills they need to be able to work right away. For example, at the International Culinary Center, a nine-month program in professional culinary arts has a tuition cost of $35,900. At the Institute of Culinary Education’s School of Culinary Arts, the tuition fee for its six-month to 14-month courses can range anywhere from $30,278 to $34,278.
Keep in mind that these are the costs before you receive any form of financial aid. Talk with your school’s financial aid office to check if you are eligible to receive scholarships or grants. You may also avail of student loans if you need help funding your education. You may also find valuable work opportunities at restaurants or bakeshops nearby during your free time. Doing part-time work will not only help finance your expenses but will also enhance your resume when you start applying for jobs after graduation.
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