Plants in the greenhouse complex at Guterman Lab.

SIPS Degrees & Programs

Gain critical skills to advance your knowledge and address local and global challenges.

The School of Integrative Plant Science is the largest academic unit in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It is composed of five sections with interrelated activities in the plant sciences: Horticulture, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, and Soil and Crop Sciences.

Degree programs

students at dilmun hill student farm
Undergraduate

The Cornell CALS plant sciences major prepares students for careers or further study in fundamental biology, plant breeding, pest and disease management and production of plants for food, fiber and ornamental uses.

students looking at rice plants
Graduate - M.S./Ph.D.

Graduate study in SIPS is organized into five graduate fields. Collectively these fields provide unparalleled opportunities to connect disciplines, creatively solve problems and integrate complex systems. Includes graduate fields of Horticulture, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, and Soil and Crop Sciences.

people driving a hemp harvester in the field
Graduate - Integrative Plant Science MPS

The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree in Integrative Plant Science is a one-year, course-based master's degree, ideal for individuals who are interested in in-depth study of the issues and advancements in plant and soil sciences.

Continuing education

Our school is committed to lifelong learning, offering a wide range of programming and skill building for children and adults alike. See featured education programs to take advantage of these opportunities, including online courses and seminar, garden tours and more.

News from the School of Integrative Plant Science

Learn about the many ways we are addressing some of the world's most urgent challenges.

Close up of wheat in a field

News

How much would you pay for this bread?

Growing climate-smart crops is half the battle. Consumers need to understand sustainability claims and, more importantly, be willing to pay a premium for them.

  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
neurons

News

Online module helps students recognize, develop critical thinking

Cornell researchers have developed an online module, running just over an hour in length, that can be offered as a way to instill concepts of critical thinking early in a student’s academic journey.

  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Neurobiology and Behavior
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Hand watering a small sprout in the ground

News

$1.1M from NY attorney general to promote climate-smart ag

New York Attorney General Letitia James has directed $1.1 million to support the new Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences New York Soil Health Climate Smart Agriculture Fund, aimed at working with farmers to promote healthy soils.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil
Hand grabbing apple

News

Research Guides Apple Growers Beyond Synthetic Fungicides
Apple scab, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is one of the most economically devastating diseases facing apple growers in the Northeast. Managing it has long depended on regular fungicide applications—and for many growers, that means...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
Scott Morris with plants in a greenhouse

News

18-year study: deer inhibit trees, raise plant diversity
At high densities, white-tailed deer inhibit growth of trees but increase the overall diversity of smaller plant and weed species, according to a long-term study published Dec. 23 in PLOS One. Twenty years ago, Cornell researchers established...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • School of Integrative Plant Science

Land Acknowledgment

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ people, past and present, to these lands and waters.

This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ leadership. Learn more from the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program website.