Professional Pastry Arts Program

The Professional Pastry Arts Program at BU’s Metropolitan College (MET) is an intensive, hands-on, 14-week program that provides the foundational skills and sensory knowledge necessary to launch a career in the pastry arts field, including entry-level positions in restaurants and professional bake shops.

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An Intensive Hands-On Pastry Course

Next Course Starts: January 21, 2026
Taught entirely by experienced, working pastry chefs, bakers, and experts in the food industry, Boston University’s Professional Pastry Arts Program is the only one of its kind in the country.

• Learn from the best professional pastry chefs, bakers and teachers in the world of Pastry
• Master the basic, classic, and modern techniques
• Explore a variety of cultures and types of pastries

You may also combine the program with other courses—including food writing, recipe testing, food media, and others—to build a foundation that will equip you to start your own food business or pursue careers in related fields. Upon completing the program, you will be expected to demonstrate core concepts in baking theory and illustrate advanced classical and contemporary pastry and confectionery techniques.

Taught by Pastry Arts Professionals

You will gain hands-on experience in the art of pastry making under the guidance of our highly qualified core instructors—including Jim Dodge, Maura Kilpatrick, Brian Mercury, Lauren Moran, and Janine Sciarappa—as well as a variety of visiting experts and industry professionals, such as Dee Steffen Chinn, Thiago Silva, Nicole Walsh, William Yosses, and many others.

State-of-the-Art Kitchen and Demonstration Studio

The Professional Pastry Arts Program features an extra-spacious laboratory kitchen with the latest professional culinary and pastry equipment, ensuring that you gain familiarity with the fast-paced environment and diverse tools of a working kitchen. In addition, you will benefit from the Groce Pépin Culinary Innovation Laboratory—a demonstration kitchen with overhead cameras and monitors immersing you in multiple angles of each cooking demo, whether you are in the studio or following online.

Learn more about our kitchen, demo studio, and other resources.

Extensive Cookbook Library

Benefit from access to a unique and growing library of more than 3,000 historic cookbooks—including seminal literature on gastronomy, cuisine, and wine studies—and food-related ephemera that is available to you as a research collection. Subjects range from the 19th century into contemporary food trends. The library is also home to the John Mariani menu collection, 40 years’ worth of menus (and growing) collected over the course of one restaurant reviewer’s career.

300+ Hours of Pastry Instruction

Along with in-person lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on time in our kitchen, you will also have access to hours of video lectures, PowerPoints, and video demonstrations by our pastry chefs and bakers. The Professional Pastry Arts Program includes instruction on:

• Baking Principles and Ingredients
• Pastry Basics
• Artisan Breads
• Yeast Doughs, Lean and Rich
• Quick Breads
• Breakfast and Brunch
• Syrups, Creams, and Sauces
• Pies
• Tarts & Special Pastries
• Cakes
• Cookies
• Custards, Puddings, Mousses
• Dessert Presentation
• Specialty Baking (Gluten Free and Vegan)
• Chocolate Work

Intensive Schedule
Instruction takes place Tuesdays through Thursdays, 9:30 am to 6 pm. In addition, you are required to participate in the daytime and evening events in Food & Wine (evening programs typically conclude at 9 pm). Schedules vary each semester and will be provided to students at the start of the program.

ServSafe Certification
Upon successful completion, students receive a certificate for ServSafe Manager and MA Allergen Awareness.

Academic Credit Option
The Professional Pastry Arts Program is available for credit, including as an elective in the Master of Arts in Gastronomy. Learn how to register for credit.

Application and Tuition

The cost of the 14-week Professional Pastry Arts Program is $14,200.

We evaluate applicants on the basis of their dedicated interest in the program and the seriousness with which they intend to pursue the course of study. Work experience in the pastry/baking profession will be considered but is not a requirement. Applicants must have a command of skills and techniques necessary for reading and executing recipes, such as knowledge of weights and measurements.

To ensure hands-on experience and time with each chef, enrollment is limited to 12 students.

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Learn More

Please contact us for more detailed information about the Professional Pastry Arts Program.

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