Baking and Pastry Arts

Description

Launch your career as a baker or pastry chef to make a lot of dough! In this one-year certificate, the Baking and Pastry Arts program prepares you for a career as a baking professional. Through hands-on learning in bake labs, you examine the fundamentals of pastry making, study traditional and contemporary baking methods, and develop ‘on-the-tool skills’ to produce delicious baked goods and desserts. Through classroom lectures, you learn baking theory, nutrition, trade calculations, sanitation, food safety, and business concepts to support the practical skills required in the daily operation of a bakery. As a graduate of this program, you are prepared to think critically, innovate, and apply business skills for lifelong career success as a baking professional across different sectors in the food service industry or as an entrepreneur and small business owner. 

Career Opportunities

Graduates may find work locally, provincially, nationally and internationally as a pastry chef, bakery manager, or retail baker in a variety of settings, including fine dining restaurants, hotel pastry departments, baking suppliers, catering companies, and boutique pastry shop outlets. Graduates also find employment as business owners by combining the skills they have learned with their entrepreneurial spirit to start and operate a successful business.

Program Learning Outcomes 

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. describe how the properties of ingredients work and interact with each other in order to predict and adjust the outcome of the recipe;
2. modify basic recipes in response to dietary need and ingredient availability;
3. execute basic baking techniques in the daily performance of a bakery or pastry shop to meet client need and business operations;
4. use recipe structure and ingredients to produce both classical and modern baked goods;
5. apply food safety principles and practices in alignment with the requirements identified by the local health unit;
6. apply basic mathematical principles to perform recipe conversions and bakery formulations;
7. employ sustainable practices in the daily operation of a bakery while maintaining efficiency and profitability;
8. apply basic entrepreneurial strategies to initiate new business opportunities within the baking industry;
9. collaborate in a professional baking environment to practice and improve
   leadership and communication skills;
10. use current industry software to produce nutritional labelling for baked goods in accordance with provincial and federal legislation.

Program Progression

The following reflects the planned progression for full-time offerings of the program.

Fall Intake

• Sem 1: Fall 2025
• Sem 2: Winter 2026

Admission Requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status with

• Grade 12 English (C or U)

Mature students, non-secondary school applicants (19 years or older), and home school applicants may also be considered for admission. Eligibility may be met by applicants who have taken equivalent courses, upgrading, completed their GED, and equivalency testing. For complete details refer to: www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/academic-regulations/

Applicants who have taken courses from a recognized and accredited post-secondary institution and/or have relevant life/learning experience may also be considered for admission; refer to the Credit for Prior Learning website for details:
www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/

Additional Information

Students should be aware that various allergens, including nuts, dairy and shellfish, are routinely used in practical labs.

Graduation Requirements

12 Program Courses
2 Communications Courses
2 General Education Courses

Graduation Eligibility

To graduate from this program, the passing weighted average for promotion through each semester, and to graduate is 60%. Additionally, a student must attain a minimum of 50% or a letter grade of P (Pass) or S (Satisfactory) in each course in each semester unless otherwise stated on the course outline.

Program Tracking

The following reflects the planned course sequence for full-time offerings of the Fall intake of the program. Where more  than one intake is offered  contact the program co-ordinator for the program tracking.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
Program Courses
BAKE 1000	Baking Ingredients and Equipment Technology	28
BAKE 1001	Baker’s Formulas and Bake Shop Management	28
BAKE 1002	Basic Baking Production	84
BAKE 1003	Basic Pastry Production	84
ENTR 1002	Introduction to Entrepreneurship	42
SANI 1000	Basic Food Service Safety and Certification	10
Communications Course
Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.		42
General Education Course
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
	Hours	360
Semester 2
Program Courses
BAKE 1005	Nutrition and Business Practices	28
BAKE 1006	Advanced Baking Production	84
BAKE 1007	Advanced Pastry Production	84
BAKE 1008	Baking Science Fundamentals	28
ENTR 2003	Small Business Operations	42
SANI 1001	Advanced Food Service Safety and Certification	10
Communications Course
Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.		42
General Education Course
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
	Hours	360
	Total Hours	720

Graduation Window 

Students unable to adhere to the program duration of one year (as stated above) may take a maximum of two years to complete their credential. After this time, students must be re-admitted into the program, and follow the curriculum in place at the time of re-admission.

Disclaimer: The information in this document is correct at the time of publication. Academic content of programs and courses is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational objectives and employment market needs. 

Program outlines may be subject to change in response to emerging situations, in order to facilitate student achievement of the learning outcomes required for graduation. Components such as courses, progression, coop work terms, placements, internships and other requirements may be delivered differently than published.