Pastry cook education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pastry cook. Pastry cooks usually study culinary arts, hospitality management, or business. 51% of pastry cooks hold a associate degree, and 25% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 4,391 real pastry cook resumes to see exactly what pastry cook education sections show.

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

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

There are certain pastry cook certifications that you should consider. These pastry cook certifications include Certified Master Pastry Chef (CMPC) and Food Safety Manager Certification.

What education do you need to become a pastry cook?

What degree do you need to be a pastry cook?

The most common degree for pastry cooks is associate degree, with 51% of pastry cooks earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 25% and bachelor's degree degree at 10%.

Associate, 51%

Bachelor's, 25%

Diploma, 10%

High School Diploma, 9%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a pastry cook?

You should major in culinary arts to become a pastry cook. 70% of pastry cooks major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a pastry cook include hospitality management and business.

Culinary Arts, 70%

Hospitality Management, 5%

Business, 4%

Health Care Administration, 2%

Other Majors, 19%

Most common colleges for pastry cooks

Pastry cooks often get their degrees at Johnson & Wales University, Culinary Institute of America, and Valencia College. Here are the most common colleges for pastry cooks in the US based on their resumes.

Pastry cook common college	Percentages
Johnson & Wales University	35.33%
Culinary Institute of America	27.41%
Valencia College	4.63%
New England Culinary Institute	3.47%
The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College	2.90%

Show more common pastry cook colleges

Best majors for pastry cooks

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Culinary Arts	70.3%
2	Hospitality Management	5.5%
3	Business	3.6%
4	Health Care Administration	2.1%
5	Psychology	1.8%

Show more common pastry cook majors

Best colleges for pastry cooks

The best colleges for pastry cooks are Boston University, Cornell University, and Syracuse University.

A pastry cook 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 cooks. 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 cooks.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,000

Enrollment

25,973

3. Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,244

Enrollment

15,557

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

6. Southwest Minnesota State University

Marshall, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,612

Enrollment

2,022

7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Enrollment

4,155

8. University of New Hampshire

Durham, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$18,499

Enrollment

12,668

9. Monroe College

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$15,428

Enrollment

5,482

10. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

20 best online courses for pastry cooks

Advertising disclosure

1. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

4.4

(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

2. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

4.7

(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

3. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

4. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

5. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

6. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

4.5

(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

7. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

4.6

(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

8. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now

4.5

(889)

The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...

9. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!

4.5

(3,150)

How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...

10. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)

4.5

(10,168)

For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...

11. Customer Service

4.6

(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

12. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

4.5

(2,276)

3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

13. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners

4.5

(4,101)

Excel as a front-line customer service agent using problem-solving & relationship-building skills, etiquette, and more...

14. Service Design: Designing for Experience Over Time

4.5

(5,272)

Learn how to structure new service innovations that deliver value to customers and users...

15. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

4.4

(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

16. Brilliant Customer Service: How to Impress your Customers!

4.7

(12,891)

Enhance your customer support and truly differentiate yourself from your competition!...

17. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

4.5

(1,035)

Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

18. Windows Service Programming, Debugging, Installing in C#.Net

4.3

(416)

Windows Service Tutorial: How to Create Windows Services in C# .Net/Visual Studio, Windows Service debugging techniques...

19. Learn SAP OData Services Developments in 2 Hours

4.5

(1,895)

Create, Debug, Test and Analyze Your First Custom SAP OData Service...

20. Passive Income 6 figures Drop Servicing Home Online Business

4.3

(4,206)

Passive Income up to 6 figures per month Learn Drop Servicing Online Business Home Business without doing investment...

Top 10 most affordable universities for pastry cooks

The most affordable schools for pastry cooks are USF Sarasota-Manatee, inter american university of puerto rico ponce, and inter american university of puerto rico aguadilla.

If the best universities for pastry cooks 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 cooks.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla

Aguadilla, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,902

Cost of attendance

13,284

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$6,326

Cost of attendance

17,330

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pastry cooks

The hardest universities for pastry cooks to get into are Boston University, Cornell University, and Syracuse University.

Some great schools for pastry cooks 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 cooks 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

3. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

4. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,309

6. Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,281

7. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

59%

SAT average

1,367

8. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

66%

SAT average

1,319

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pastry cooks

The easiest schools for pastry cooks to get into are Life University, university of north texas at dallas, and indiana university of pennsylvania.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pastry cook 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 cooks.

1. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana, PA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,019

4. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

5. Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,062

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. Cleary University

Howell, MI • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,039

8. Saint Thomas University

Miami Gardens, FL • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

1,031

9. Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, CO • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,022

10. University of Southern Maine

Portland, ME • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,050

Average pastry cook salary by education level

Pastry cooks with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $37,135 annually. With a Associate degree, pastry cooks earn a median annual income of $36,286 compared to $35,496 for pastry cooks with an High School Diploma degree.

Pastry cook education level	Pastry cook salary
High School Diploma or Less	$35,496
Bachelor's Degree	$37,135
No Education	$35,087
Some College/ Associate Degree	$36,286

Pastry cook education FAQs

What is the best college for Pastry Cooks?

Have more questions? See all answers to common food preparation and restaurant questions.

Search for pastry cook jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Pastry Cook
Pastry Cook Education

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs