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Baking & Pastry Arts

Types of Degrees Baking & Pastry Arts Majors Are Earning

Those studying Baking & Pastry Arts may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2,017
Associate’s Degree	2,032
Bachelor’s Degree	76
Master’s Degree	1,354

What Baking & Pastry Arts Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Baking & Pastry Arts emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Baking & Pastry Arts graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Baking & Pastry Arts emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Food Production — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Baking & Pastry Arts program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Coordination — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Baking & Pastry Arts careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Baking & Pastry Arts graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	3.9 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.8 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Baking & Pastry Arts professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
SoftCafe MenuPro	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Culinary Software Services ChefTec	Data base user interface and query software	—
Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro	Analytical or scientific software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Enggist & Grandjean EGS F&B Control	Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
GroupMe	Instant messaging software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Sage MAS 90 ERP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Baking & Pastry Arts graduates include:

• Baker
• Pastry Chef
• Pastry Cook
• Pie Maker
• Head Cook
• Head Chef
• Executive Sous Chef
• Cake Maker
• Cuisine Chef
• Chef de Froid
• Sous Chef
• Wedding Cake Designer
• Restaurant Chef
• Corporate Executive Chef
• Pastry Artist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Baking & Pastry Arts graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	47.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	18.2%
Postsecondary certificate	15.6%
Some college courses	8.5%
Bachelor’s degree	7.3%
Less than a high school diploma	3.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 84.4% of Baking & Pastry Arts degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,674	84.4%
Men	865	15.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Baking & Pastry Arts graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,067	37.3%
Asian	176	3.2%
Hispanic or Latino	1,862	33.6%
Black or African American	812	14.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	47	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	18	0.3%
Two or More Races	203	3.7%
Race Unknown	244	4.4%
International Students	110	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Baking & Pastry Arts Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Baking & Pastry Arts graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$24,617
4 years	$29,033
5 years	$32,264

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,264 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Baking & Pastry Arts graduates earn a median of $29,033 four years after completion — about 24% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.05
Bartending/Bartender	12.0502
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other	12.0599
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.0500
Culinary Arts/Chef Training	12.0503
Culinary Science/Culinology	12.0509
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	12.0505
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	12.0507
Institutional Food Workers	12.0508
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter	12.0506
Reserved	12.0580
Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager	12.0504

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.