Cornell seal
Back

Discover CALS

See how our current work and research is bringing new thinking and new solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.

Agricultural Sciences Major

Developing the future leaders of agriculture

Food and agriculture are at the center of a rapidly changing and growing world, and the challenges we face are some of the most important. The next generation of growers, policy makers, business leaders, innovators and educators are needed to shape the future of agriculture.

Consistently ranked in the top five universities for agricultural sciences, Cornell's Agricultural Sciences major gives you the flexibility to tailor your studies to meet your unique goals with concentrations in animal science, agribusiness, soil health management and sustainable cropping systems management.

Positioned at the heart of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the major leverages our public-private research university's cutting-edge laboratories and computational resources. Our program attracts academically diverse students, providing a strong scientific foundation while allowing specialization through focused electives that prepare graduates for careers requiring advanced technical expertise in modern agricultural and food systems.

Major in Agricultural Sciences

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) 

Our Agricultural Sciences program offers a flexible, interdisciplinary major that prepares students to tackle important challenges, from improving their family farms to pursuing careers in policy, education, research or agricultural business. The major sits at the center of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, providing access to all that a public-private research university offers.

With CALS’ individualized approach to agricultural sciences, there is no “typical student.” Our major offers a broad foundation in agriculture, but allows for flexibility, so students can tailor their studies and explore their passions across and beyond the agricultural sciences.

Matching our students’ multi-faceted interests, this major allows for deepening your understanding with specific concentrations of study, in preparation for careers that require a scientific and integrated understanding of agriculture and food systems.

CALS seeks students who maintain a rigorous high school curriculum and demonstrate an outstanding record of academic achievement. Admissions requirements include:

  • 4 Units of English

  • 4 Units of Mathematics (including pre-calculus, statistics recommended)

  • 3 Units of Science (1 biology and 1 chemistry required, physics strongly recommended)

  • An additional unit of science is also strongly recommended

  • Agriculture courses are also strongly encouraged

Our Agricultural Sciences program delivers a STEM-based curriculum that integrates biology, chemistry, and data science with flexible, interdisciplinary training. Students develop scientific problem-solving skills to address critical challenges—from optimizing family farm operations to advancing careers in agricultural research, biotechnology, and sustainable systems engineering.

First-year students take a required "Pathways to Success" course their first fall semester and must complete an agriculturally-related internship before senior year.

The major requires a minimum of 48 core course credits, with 15 to 25.5 credits for focused electives, depending on choice. Core and focused elective coursework must be taken for a letter grade unless S/U is the only option. No minimum grade is required for major requirements.

Students typically complete major requirements by junior year's end, allowing time for minors or study abroad. The program is transfer-friendly, with advisors helping both external and internal transfer students maximize course equivalency and maintain flexibility.

To view the complete curriculum, see Agricultural Sciences in the Cornell Courses of Study. Additional questions can be sent to the undergraduate program coordinator, at agsci [at] cornell.edu (agsci[at]cornell[dot]edu).

Students will complete courses within a chosen focus area in addition to core requirements. The four focus areas are:

  • Animal science
  • Agribusiness (choose one)
    • Business Management Track
    • Policy Analysis Track
  • Soil Health Management
  • Sustainable Cropping Systems Management

Students often have space and flexibility to complete a minor from across the university in addition to their focus area.

Students gain practical experience through an agriculturally-related internship of at least six weeks of full-time effort that aligns with individual goals and complements formal coursework. The process involves a learning agreement and post-experience reflection, which is assessed in the required course, PLSCI 4900 . Students are supported in career exploration and provided learning tools and resources to search for optimum internship experience. Abundant opportunities are available in every facet of agriculture and students are encouraged by their faculty advisor to approach their internship search with the same flexibility and creativity as with course planning. All students are encouraged to work closely with their faculty advisor to complement formal training and leverage the Ag Sciences major.

Upon completion of the Agricultural Sciences major, students will be able to:

  • Write and speak with clarity about complex agricultural issues, effectively communicate scientific findings, and critically analyze food system challenges using evidence-based reasoning.
  • Apply interdisciplinary knowledge of plant and animal systems, demonstrating proficiency in both scientific principles and practical production methods.
  • Exhibit specialized expertise in at least one agricultural discipline through concentrated study and application of advanced techniques in their chosen concentration.
  • Create sustainable solutions for domestic and global agricultural challenges by integrating scientific knowledge, ethical considerations, and systems thinking to address real-world food production needs.

The Agricultural Sciences major is a transfer-friendly program. We work hard to meet each transfer student’s individual needs and align prior coursework with as many curriculum requirements as possible, allowing students to advance with maximum flexibility. Prospective transfer students should connect with the undergraduate program coordinator agsci [at] cornell.edu (agsci[at]cornell[dot]edu) to receive more information.

Academic Requirements  

Transfer students should have one full academic year of Intro to Biology with labs, one College Writing/English Composition or Public Speaking course and one semester of Statistics. Strong candidates should maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and earn B’s or higher in required coursework listed below. Transfer students who do not meet these requirements should contact the undergraduate program coordinator agsci [at] cornell.edu (agsci[at]cornell[dot]edu) to receive more information. to review possible pathways to the major.

Transfer courses that closely match Cornell course descriptions are more likely to count toward your CALS degree. Check the Agricultural Sciences curriculum page for detailed descriptions of major requirements.

Below are requirements for Transfer Students applying to CALS for Fall 2027.

 

(Or transfers with two full-time college semesters of study (post-high school) completed or in progress at time of application):

Required:

  • Two Semesters of Introductory Biology with lab
    • Any introductory biology, including plant biology
  • Statistics
  • One College Writing/English Composition course or Public Speaking course

(Or transfers with four full-time college semesters of study (post-high school) completed or in progress at time of application).

Required:

  • Two Semesters of Introductory Biology with lab
    • Any introductory biology, including plant biology
  • Two courses that align with the Ag Sciences core requirements (see curriculum for details.) Subject areas include:
    • Plant Science & Systems
    • Sustainable Agriculture
    • Field Crop Systems
    • Integrated Pest Management
    • Soil Science

(Courses that do not match these definitions exactly may be evaluated as substitutions)

  • One Semester of Chemistry with lab
  • Statistics
  • Two College Writing/English Composition courses or One Writing and One Public Speaking
Apply

Hot off the press

Director's Report: Agricultural Sciences

Learn how our Agricultural Sciences major tackles the complex challenges of our time through purpose-driven science

Ag Sci report cover featuring a hand holding a red apple

Learn more about our students and alumni

In the news

Supporting farmers, protecting soil health

Agricultural Sciences major Mikala Anderson ’23 is working on a concentration in education and society. For the past two summers, she has participated in a summer internship at the Delaware County office of Cornell Cooperative Extension, first as a Cornell Cooperative Extension summer intern and last summer as part of the Dairy Sustainability Key Performance Indicator Project.

In the news

More student veterans join a welcoming community

Jenny Cunningham, a former staff sergeant in the Marine Corps, wanted to go back to college for a degree in sustainable agriculture. But as a veteran and at age 40, she wondered if she would really fit in an undergraduate population.

At Cornell, “I was welcomed with open arms,” she said, “and I was really surprised – because it was almost like an instant family.” Cunningham is now a junior transfer student in CALS.

In the news

Lund fellows program supports undergrads and organic agriculture

Agricultural Sciences major Jeremiah Lazo '22 fell in love with agriculture in the fourth grade. A friend had asked Lazo over to his family’s ranch near Edinburg, Texas, where they raised cotton, cattle, sorghum and corn on 300 acres. Soon, and for the next eight years, he was heading to the farm every weekend and summer to help build barns, fix fences and manage cattle.

“I’d wake up at the crack of dawn to head out to the farm and work way past when the sun went down,” Lazo said. “I had other hobbies, but agriculture, farming and showing animals – that was really where my heart was, and I knew that my career would be in the food system.”

In the news

Student firefighters answer the call

Most students can drive a car by the time they graduate from college. Not many of them can drive a fire truck.

John Gregory ’23 is among the few. An agricultural sciences major, Gregory has been a volunteer firefighter throughout his time on the Hill (and for two years before that, as a high schooler in New York’s Westchester County). Now a junior, he has risen to the rank of lieutenant with the Cayuga Heights Fire Department (CHFD), the all-volunteer force that serves the tree-lined village adjacent to campus that’s home to many Cornell faculty and staff.

In the news

Reflections from the next generation of ag educators

Megan Lamb ’22, an agricultural sciences major, participated in a joint summer internship program between the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) and the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute.

Lamb’s internship was made possible with funding from the NMSP’s Dairy Sustainability Key Indicators Project run by Quirine Ketterings, professor of nutrient management and director of the NMSP in the Department of Animal Science in Cornell CALS.

In the news

CCE’s role in the future of dairy sustainability

Agricultural science major, Megan Wittmeyer ’22, spent the summer completing a joint internship between the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP), run by Quirine Ketterings, professor of nutrient management in the Department of Animal Science in Cornell CALS, and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) South Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team. CCE provided full funding for this internship experience through the CCE Summer Internship Program.

mikala with a plastic wrapped baleage
cunningham inspecting plants outside greenhouse
Jeremiah Lazo and fellow interns working in an agriculture field
Gregory conducts ladder drill
megan lamb in wheat field
Megan Wittmeyer

Exploring agriculture through hands-on experiences

Through this college-wide interdisciplinary major, you will have access to Cornell’s world-class agricultural resources and facilities. Students gain hands-on experience through labs and course field trips to a number of campus-area farms.

Four people walk through the interior of a large barn with pens of cows on each side.
A student working at Dilmun Hill Student Farm
Two students wearing white coats make ice cream in a Food Science lab.
A student inspecting plants in a greenhouse.
Jake Manley '19 and Nadya Kandel '21 study in the Cornell University Insect Collection.
Equipment in the teaching winery located in Stocking Hall.
A faculty member and student inspect apple trees in an orchard.
A greenhouse facility
Rows of grape vines in a field at Cornell AgriTech Gates farm.
Student and faculty member inspecting wheat at Musgrave Farm

The Cornell University Dairy Research Center houses about 600 dairy cows and an additional 500 head of youngstock. It includes multiple freestall barns, a tiestall-metabolism barn and milking parlor.

Dilmun Hill is a student-run farm that practices sustainable agriculture on campus. The farm provides students with opportunities for experiential learning, group collaboration and research.

Each year, students in the Food Science 1101 class make ice cream for their final project in the Cornell Dairy processing plant.

Students gain hands on experience maintaining and harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and basil in our Hydroponic Food Production course.

The Cornell University Insect Collection includes over 7 million insects specimens representing about 200,000 species, or roughly 20% of the world’s described insect fauna.

The CALS Teaching Winery in Stocking Hall includes state-of-the-art fermentation tanks and a modern microbiological and chemical lab.

Cornell Orchards serves as a 22-acre living laboratory providing hands-on experience with fruit production. Focus areas include pomology, viticulture, orchard management and agricultural engineering.

The Guterman Bioclimatic Laboratory contains growth chambers, controlled atmosphere storage rooms, an isolated facility for herbicide and weed science research and adjacent greenhouse facilities.

In the grape research fields at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, NY, our researchers explore grower needs in the spectrum of grape breeding, best horticultural practices and disease and pest management.

Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, NY, provides 450-acres of productive, arable land for applied agricultural research, teaching and outreach with a focus on field crops and soil science research.

Careers in agricultural science

Graduates pursue a variety of careers, including food production and marketing, agricultural education in secondary schools, organic farming, cooperative extension and crop consultation.

Two people pick spinach

Agriculture Business

  • Marketing specialist
  • Dairy nutrition sales and consulting
  • Crop consultant
  • District sales manager
  • Chief innovation officer
  • Director of training and development
  • Financial loan officer
  • Associate produce buyer
  • Marketing project coordinator
  • Management trainee

Education

  • Teach for America teacher
  • Science teacher
  • Secondary school farm manager

Environment

  • Sustainability and energy fellow
  • Energy project technician
  • Soil scientist

Farming

  • Herd health assistant
  • Field manager
  • Crop operations manager
  • Dairy farm manager
  • Food safety manager
  • Poultry farm manager
  • Livestock operations manager
  • Greenhouse manager
  • Agronomist
  • Assistant grower
  • Organic farming certification specialist

Research

  • Research assistant
  • Trials manager
  • Field technician
  • Plant breeding technician

More

  • Equine dentist
  • NYS Department of Ag & Markets fellow

Contact us

The Richard C. Call Director of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Frank Rossi
106 Academic Surge A
Phone: (607) 255-9998
Email: fsr3 [at] cornell.edu (fsr3[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Undergraduate Program Coordinator (Agricultural Sciences Major)
Lisa Woodruff
101 Academic Surge A
Email: sips-studentsvcs [at] cornell.edu (sips-studentsvcs[at]cornell[dot]edu)
 

Student working in a greenhouse

Explore your opportunities

A CALS education goes beyond the classroom and gives students frequent opportunities to apply what they learn in real-world settings.