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.

soft robot gripper with strawberry

News

Handle with care: Soft robot gripper picks ripe fruit without bruising

Cornell researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch, then pick them without causing any damage.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
  • Fruits
Close up of wildflowers in a field

News

Temperature shifts change plant proteins powering photosynthesis

Plants adjust to temperature changes, in part, by switching the way they express Rubisco, the protein that performs the critical first step of photosynthesis, according to new research from Cornell and partners.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
  • Plants
Illustration of three piles of manure with a photo of a gardener with soil in their hands

News

Animal and human waste could slash synthetic fertilizer use in US

Waste could fulfill 102% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus needs for the nation’s agriculture, and significant amounts could be distributed locally and sustainably.

  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Global Development Section
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Mariel Pfeifer landscape

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Mariel Pfeifer
Academic focus: Biology education research/discipline-based science education research Research summary: My lab is called the EQUIP lab, and we study how STEM environments can better support all students and faculty. A major focus of our work is...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture
Hannah McMillan Landscape

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Hannah McMillan
Academic focus: Plant-microbiome-environment interactions Research summary: Plants interact simultaneously with microbes and their abiotic environment, but molecular studies often focus only on interactions with one or the other. My research...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
  • Plants

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.