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Pastry chef assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pastry chef assistant. Pastry chef assistants usually study culinary arts, business, or hospitality management. 32% of pastry chef assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 6,150 real pastry chef assistant resumes to see exactly what pastry chef assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for pastry chef assistants are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.

There are also many online pastry chef assistant courses to help get the education required to be a pastry chef assistant.

There are certain pastry chef assistant certifications that you should consider. These pastry chef assistant certifications include Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

What education do you need to become a pastry chef assistant?

What degree do you need to be a pastry chef assistant?

The most common degree for pastry chef assistants is bachelor's degree, with 32% of pastry chef assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 32% and associate degree degree at 23%.
  • Bachelor's, 32%
  • Associate, 32%
  • High School Diploma, 23%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a pastry chef assistant?

You should major in culinary arts to become a pastry chef assistant. 42% of pastry chef assistants major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a pastry chef assistant include business and hospitality management.

Most common colleges for pastry chef assistants

Pastry chef assistants often get their degrees at Johnson & Wales University, Culinary Institute of America, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for pastry chef assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Pastry chef assistant common collegePercentages
Johnson & Wales University32.19%
Culinary Institute of America18.52%
University of Phoenix5.70%
University of Iowa3.42%
Stratford University3.13%

Best majors for pastry chef assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Culinary Arts42.0%
2Business10.8%
3Hospitality Management5.4%
4General Studies4.6%
5Liberal Arts3.5%

Best colleges for pastry chef assistants

The best colleges for pastry chef assistants are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

A pastry chef assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for pastry chef assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become pastry chef assistants.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,244

Enrollment

15,557

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

8. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

9. University of Charleston

Charleston, WV • Private

In-state tuition

$30,900

Enrollment

1,910

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for pastry chef assistants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for pastry chef assistants

The most affordable schools for pastry chef assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for pastry chef assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for pastry chef assistants.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$7,092

Cost of attendance

16,853

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Cost of attendance

24,718

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pastry chef assistants

The hardest universities for pastry chef assistants to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for pastry chef assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for pastry chef assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pastry chef assistants

The easiest schools for pastry chef assistants to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, life university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pastry chef assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for pastry chef assistants.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average pastry chef assistant salary by education level

Pastry chef assistants with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $47,703 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, pastry chef assistants earn a median annual income of $46,949 compared to $42,480 for pastry chef assistants with an High School Diploma degree.
Pastry chef assistant education levelPastry chef assistant salary
High School Diploma or Less$42,480
Bachelor's Degree$46,949
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,703

Pastry chef assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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