How Long is Baking and Pastry School?

Baking and pastry schools equip culinary professionals with the practical skills needed to help their culinary passion flourish and thrive. Culinary school can help aspiring chefs ensure that fresh ingredients are mixed appropriately, oven temperatures are set right, and icing and other toppings are applied with appropriate artistry.

Bakers supply wholesale food companies, bakeshops, and pastry shops with mouthwatering baked delicacies. If this is a job you see yourself pursuing in the future, then it’s worth investing your time in a baking and pastry school.

How long to earn a Degree at Baking and Pastry School?

The answer to this question depends on whether or not you decide to attend an accelerated school or a traditional school. At a traditional school the program can take from 17 months to two years. Meanwhile, an accelerated course will live up to its name with a program that can help students graduate in as little as 10 months. Why the big difference? Let’s take a look.

Course Program

Students who enroll for a diploma in bakery and pastry arts will learn everything from basic breads to making customized cakes. You also gather hands-on experience in making a variety of baked goods at different production levels. Some of the topics covered include precision baking, methodologies of mixing dough, kitchen sanitation and safety, and the art of pastry. Through learned skills and intensive real-world experience gained through externship programs, students can gain both theory and practical experience.

Possible Path

First, many pastry shops and restaurants prefer hiring bakers who already know their work after receiving the necessary training from a baking school. No one has the luxury of time to waste training new employees, especially if they’re looking to move with speed and meet the hourly demand for pastries.

Second, if you learned your baking skills in a local baking outlet, it’s possible your baking skills could be limited to the specialties of that particular shop. After all, if you work at a cupcakery, they probably wouldn’t spend time showing you how to make swiss roll.

Baking and pastry artists are employed in a variety of work settings, including grocery stores, bakeries, hotels/resorts, restaurants, contract dining facilities, and manufacturing chains.

Traditional Vs. Accelerated Programs

Traditional baking and pastry would take between 17 months to 24 months for a diploma course in baking and pastry. However, accelerated programs now allow students to get out the school quickly and dash into the workforce in 40 weeks. The accelerated program is also a good fit for chefs working full time and would want to sharpen their skills in baking and pastry. It’s however wise to weigh the two alternatives and see which option best fits your circumstance.

Semesters vs. Terms

Traditional programs are organized in semesters and longer periods will be spent on each course. This gives students ample time to study each subject in details. In contrast, accelerated programs will be organized in shorter periods with most terms or quarters taking 5 to 12 weeks to complete. Without large gaps for students to lose the knowledge they’ve gained or have their skills become rusty.

Time

The amount of time taken under an accelerated program can be either beneficial or disadvantageous. You’re going to do more within a short period of time yet the number of courses covered is just the same as the traditional model. That means students will find themselves with full time schedules leaving little time for hobbies and side projects. However, the advantage is that you’ll complete the course much faster.

Scheduling

Scheduling is usually very flexible and accommodating to non-traditional students like full-time employees, adult learners, and people with families. Some institutions offer night, weekend, and daytime classes for students with other responsibilities.

Do you think an accelerated course in baking and pastry is right for you? If you want to earn a Diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts, consider ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia. For more information, be sure to connect with a helpful admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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