Program Overview

Program Overview

In the Baking & Decorative Arts technical diploma program at Madison College, you'll gain wide-ranging, hands-on experiences in baking and pastry arts. You will receive practical and theoretical training on producing bakery products from scratch (like pastries, tortes and hearth breads) cake decorating, sugar and chocolate work, and plated dessert presentations. You will also learn real-world merchandising and sales training by working in the bakery on campus.

The Baking & Decorative Arts program at Madison College is approved by the Retail Bakers of America (RBA) and the American Culinary Federation (ACF). Upon completion of the program combined with 1,000 hours of work experience in the baking industry, students can take the RBA’s Certified Journey Baker written exam. This is the beginning level of certification leading up to a Master Baker qualification. The purpose of RBA certification is to raise the professional standards and verify the work, skill and knowledge professional bakers bring to the marketplace and improve job opportunities and income for certified bakers and decorators.

Program Details

• Students in the Baking & Decorative Arts program attend full-time.
• Classes are offered Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 1:30 pm.
• Baking & Decorative Arts classes may be offered at the Madison College Truax campus.

Baking and Decorative Arts Careers

Earning your technical diploma in the Baking & Decorative Arts program at Madison College prepares you for valuable work as a bakery worker/assistant pastry chef in a variety of commercial environments such as:

• Retail bakeries
• Supermarket bakeries
• Restaurants or hotels
• Hospitals or nursing homes
• Catering operations
• Specialty shops

With additional education and/or work experience, graduates may find employment as:

• Bakery Manager
• Commercial Cake Decorator
• Bakery Owner

Curriculum and Experience

Prospective Program Students

The information below reflects the basic requirements for students admitted for the academic year.

Prior to Start of Program

• Principles of Sanitation (1 credit)

First Semester

• Yeast Breads (3 credits)
• Bakery Retail (1 credit)
• Baking Principles (2 credits)
• Intro to Baking (3 credits)
• Experimental Baking (1 credit)
• Cake Decorating (2 credits)
• Chocolate & Sugar Confections (2 credits)

Second Semester

• Baking & Nutrition (1 credit)
• Specialty Cakes & Miniatures (3 credits)
• Artisan Breads & Breakfast Pastries (3 credits)
• Bakery Production (3 credits)
• Advanced Cake Decorating (3 credits)

Admission

To Apply

• The online application allows you to save your work as you complete it and ensures fast, secure delivery to our office.

Application Dates

• Fall 2025:
  • Application open
  • Application completion deadline is August 15, 2025

Admission Requirements

• All materials must be submitted by the application deadline.

1. Admission Application

• The online application allows you to save your work as you complete it and ensures fast, secure delivery to our office.

2. Education Completion

• Official transcripts must be sent from the institutions you attended and indicate one of the following:
  • High school transcript (current high school seniors may submit an in-progress transcript)
  • GED/HSED transcript
  • College transcript(s) showing:
    • Completion of an associate degree or higher, or
    • At least 30 credits completed with a minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4-point scale
      • The credits must be completed at a single college and cannot be combined with other transcripts
      • Any transfer credit listed on a transcript does not count toward the 30-credit minimum

Additional Notes

• Class capacity is limited and is available on a first come, first served basis.
• Course prerequisites differ from admission requirements; admission into a program does not guarantee eligibility to enroll in courses or success in the program. Refer to program curriculum for details.

Career Outcomes

Madison College Baking & Decorative Arts graduates are prepared to:

• Read and follow written and oral directions in preparing bakery products.
• Produce a variety of saleable scratch bakery items in a timely manner.
• Work effectively with others to achieve production goals.
• Calculate formulas to production size.
• Practice proper state and federal safety and sanitation procedures.

Graduate Summary

• Number of Program Graduates: 13 (2022), 12 (2023), 14 (2024)
• Number of Surveys Sent: 13 (2022), 12 (2023), 14 (2024)
• Number of Surveys Returned: 9 (2022), 10 (2023), 8 (2024)
• Percent of Surveys Returned: 69.2% (2022), 83.3% (2023), 57.1% (2024)
• Available for Employment: 8 (2022), 9 (2023), 7 (2024)
• Percent Available for Employment: 88.9% (2022), 90.0% (2023), 87.5% (2024)
• Not in Labor Market: 1 (2022), 1 (2023), 1 (2024)
• Percent Not in Labor Market: 11.1% (2022), 10.0% (2023), 12.5% (2024)

Graduate Employers

• Monona Catering
• Olive Garden
• The Baked Lab

Related Programs

• Culinary Arts
• Hospitality Management