Top baking schools in 2023
Are you considering which baking school would best suit your career prospects as a baker? Then read through to see the top baking schools in 2023.
In this article, you will learn everything about baking schools, what they entail, if you need them, and the requirements to apply.
Furthermore, you will also get to know the cost of the different types of baking schools to aid in making a good decision for yourself.
What are baking schools and how do they work?
Baking schools are schools that provide formal education and training for students to prepare them for a career as bakers or pastry chefs.
This school can also be called Baking and pastry school which encompasses baking and pastry arts.
Baking and Pastry schools provide intensive training on how to make cakes, bread, donuts, cookies, croissants, pies, artisan bread, petit four, chocolate, desserts, and other forms of pastries.
Baking is an intricate culinary art that requires proper training to enable the baker to get acquainted with the use of careful and accurate measurements, the use of proper ingredients, and the correct temperature depending on the pastry that has been made.
These schools aid bakers to acquire practical skills to equip themselves and to thrive as bakers.
These schools issues certificate to their students upon graduation and the certificate depends on the type of baking schools and training the student enrolled for.
A diploma in baking and pastry will take a minimum of nine months and a maximum of twenty-four months.
There are also further programs in baking schools that last up to four years.
They also have accelerated programs in these schools that take between three to six months for people that usually want to acquire special training in a particular type of pastry.
It is very beneficial for bakers to attend baking schools to acquire better knowledge and expertise in the baking industry.
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Do bakers need to attend baking schools?
Attending a baking school is not a prerequisite to becoming a baker but it gives you better leverage, certification, and more technical skills to explore several culinary arts in the baking and pastry world.
Without a doubt, it is possible for one to acquire baking skills by informal apprenticeship or through several online platforms like YouTube, udemy, etc
Nevertheless, this can not be compared to actually attending a baking school to acquire these skills, there is a standard plan for formal apprenticeship in baking schools and the certification that comes with it gives you an edge as a professional baker to be able to work with multinational bakeries, eateries, and restaurants.
However, it is important to note that just attending a baking school is not solely enough to make you a professional baker as this is a skill-intensive industry, there is a need to prove your expertise and this cannot be achieved by relying solely on the technical skills acquired from baking school.
It is pertinent that more practice is done and the foundational skills acquired in baking schools are properly harnessed to their maximum potential.
Although already having foundational skills makes it easier to carry out technical culinary art practice and certifications make it easier to grow through the ranks and get more jobs as a professional baker.
What are the top baking schools in 2023
To help make it easier to choose which baking school you would like to enroll in, we have carefully compiled this list to show you the best baking schools in the United States by 2023.
This list not only contains the list of the schools but provides adequate information about each school to enable you to determine which of the schools would suit your intentions or meet up to your expectations.
1. Culinary Institute of America
This school is one of the best options for any student aspiring to have a degree in baking and pastry. It was established in 1946 and is a highly regarded school for bakers.
It is located at Hyde Park in New York but also has campuses in Texas, California, San Antonio, Napa, St. Helena, and Singapore.
Although most culinary institutes are for profit, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is not one of those. CIA is a nonprofit institute and also a private institute as well.
Clearly, this makes it lay give more importance to providing quality education to its students. CIA aids its students with career placement and development through its several internship resources.
As a result of this internship, students are able to build job experience and professional networks to aid their careers. In addition to this several conferences in the industry are organized in CIA through their alumni which consist of a large network of successful bakers and pastry chefs, students are able to network with prospective employers which give them an edge in their career.
You can enroll in CIA and start from scratch to acquire technical skills as a baker but in cases where you already have preceding knowledge about Baking, you can decide to apply for their accelerated programs which would take you less time to complete.
2. Institute of Culinary Education
The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is a world-class institute of education, it is very famous and America’s biggest independent institute of culinary education.
It is located in New York but also has a campus in Los Angeles. It was established in 1975 by Peter Kump. It has a large number of alumni that are industry culinary leaders and top chefs.
Their method of education is highly intense, thorough, and has high standards. The programs in this institute usually take six to twelve months.
They are known for their high standards that they have kept on all through the years and they attribute this standard to their international curriculum, creative thinking, entrepreneurship inclusion, standard baking instructors with gainful expertise and knowledge, a wide range of famous alumni, and highly placed connection in the Culinary Industry and to the best food businesses in America.
They have over 14000 graduates and have received several awards as an institute. They were awarded “The best culinary school in America” in 2016 by Daily Meal. They have also been awarded by the International Association of Culinary Professionals as the “Culinary School of the year” in 2003,2008,2011 and 2013.
3. International Culinary Center
The international Culinary Center (ICC) is located in New York and was founded in 1984 when it was named the French Culinary Institute.
The International Culinary Center is an international soaring-stature culinary school that has been committed to producing skilled and highly professional chefs.
ICC is a private and for-profit culinary institute and has its campus located in the soho neighborhood which is not so far from New York’s China Town.
The programs in this institute are accelerated and they operate for the full year. The school is also programmed in a way that part of its commitment is ensuring that its students are able to get into the workforce easier and faster.
Evidently, they are able to achieve this by providing several growth opportunities for its students, career placement in the culinary industry, alumni network, and organizing career fairs for students to build professional connections.
4. Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
This school is located in two places in the United States. It has its headquarters in Austin, Texas, and a second location in Boulder, Colorado.
The school is named after a renowned French chef.
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is a for-profit school and also private. The school also provides online learning options to accommodate students that do not reside in the States or are close to the school.
The school is committed to helping its students gain a place in the workforce by providing assistance for career placement which is effective from when you enroll, they also use their alumnus body to provide networking opportunities for students, job listing, and industry referrals.
The program in the school is rounded off with an externship to help the students acquire gainful job experience.
5. L’Academie de Cuisine
This school was founded in 1976 by the renowned Francois Dionot.
L’Academie de Cuisine is located in Washington DC and is a private school that runs for profit and has made a name for its tenacity with advancing professionals.
The school is highly known for its high standards and is committed to providing quality regardless. This is why it only focuses on and offers two certificate program options.
The programs in L’Academie de Cuisine are organized in three phases which are; initiating foundational knowledge, progressive techniques, and a paid apprenticeship at an excellent restaurant to end the program.
This apprenticeship provides job experience and builds their career network. The school is highly focused on ensuring that its students have amazing careers in the industry.
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6. Johnson and Wales University
Johnson and Wales University is located in seven locations in the United States. Its main location is in Providence, Rhode Island.
It also has other locations in Denver, North Carolina, North Miami, Florida, and Charlotte.
It is a unique institution as it is a university that offers several bachelor’s degrees in other programs like humanities, engineering, and social science.
They have 10 program options for aspiring baking students to choose from and they also provide opportunities for specialization and an opportunity to combine baking with management studies.
John and Wales inculcate internship into their programs to aid students to gain work experience. They also have several student organizations and clubs that host meaningful events to help the students in the school.
John and wales take the career advancement of their students to be one of their core values and they work on this by organizing career fairs and providing a job listing database for its students.
7. Metropolitan Community College Nebraska
Metropolitan Community College Nebraska (MCCN)is located in Omaha and is a not-for-profit public institution.
MCCN is focused on providing quality education at a low cost to prepare students to become professional bakers.
MCCN students take part in paid internships to get gainful job experience for their careers. They are also allowed to work for the public while still building fantastic professional connections.
The school also provides several ways for the students to build themselves like providing opportunities for them to take part in culinary competitions to be able to better utilize and harness their skills. They also provide counseling services for their students and help with career placement.
8. Kendall College of Culinary Arts
Kendall College of Culinary Arts is located in Chicago. There are several opportunities for the growth of the career of the students by going through internships and working in open restaurants.
Kendall College of Culinary Arts has a unique option that allows students who already have a first degree to continue a degree in Culinary Arts by skipping the general education and focusing on the specialization and this makes it faster.
9. New English Culinary Institute
The New English Culinary Institute is located in Montpelier. It is a for-profit private institution that offers several certifications for aspiring bakers.
They also provide online programs for students that are interested in that option.
New English Culinary institute has the sole aim of providing hands-on education for its students and ensuring that they get adequate job experiences through several internships. There is also an option to study business management as well as baking and pastry. They also have a reputable alumni body.
10. Sullivan University National Center for Hospitality Studies
This institution is a for-profit private university that offers several bachelor’s degree programs like pharmacy, business, etc
They are known to have an amazing program for baking and pastry. The university is located in Louisville, Kentucky. Although it has another campus near Lexington.
The program is aimed at improving career readiness and provides options of specialization as a baker, pastry chef, chef, or in management. The program takes an eighteen-month period and is broken into eleven (11) weeks.
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What are the types of baking schools?
There are four types of schools that provide opportunities to train aspiring bakers and they are;
1. Community College
Community colleges are baking schools that are offered through a community. These types of schools are a good option for students that do not have enough financial resources as they are more budget-friendly as compared to technical schools and universities.
They offer degree programs and certifications but getting into them is usually very difficult because of the population of people applying as a result of the low tuition fee.
Programs in community colleges take two or more years.
2. Technical Schools
In technical schools, the program is based solely on baking and pastry skills. They do not give general education requirements.
Technical schools are an easier way to get into baking and pastry if you do not want to spend so much time acquiring the skill. Their programs last for six to 12 months duration. They also have very expensive tuition fees although not as expensive as universities.
3. Universities
In universities, they are more concerned about training the students properly according to the recommended instruction of the school.
They are the closest thing to getting to work in a restaurant setting, they provide hands-on training for students and are very expensive and most students have to use student loans.
Universities train these students to be ready to face professional kitchens effectively upon graduation. The programs in universities take up to four years.
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4. Online Schools
These are schools in which their teaching is strictly online, they make use of several videos to teach students.
The students get flexibility with this type of school as they can access the videos from their homes and practice with them.
They also submit their tasks as videos or pictures depending on the instruction of the instructor
What are the requirements to apply to baking school?
A high school diploma or the equivalent would make do for a typical admission into a baking school. There is also usually a minimum age for which they can grant admission, the student is expected to be up to 17 years old.
There are also other requirements that vary depending on the school and the program the student intends to enroll for.
How much do baking schools cost?
- Community colleges cost between $2000 – $7000.
- Public universities cost between $5000- $20000
- Culinary institutes cost between $9000 – $38000
- Private universities cost between $15000 – $45000
The cost of attending a baking school depends on the type of school and on the programs that the students enrolled for in the school.
Different programs have their own tuition cost.
Conclusion
You don’t have to go to a school to learn baking but baking school gives you an edge. It presents you as a professional ready to handle professional projects and programs.
Carefully go through the baking schools we listed above and choose the one that best suits you.
