plant pathology grad students examining hops plants in greenhouse

Plant Protection MPS Concentration

Learn the strategies and tactics for managing insect, weeds, and pathogens needed to become an effective pest management professional.

Program Overview

The Plant Protection concentration within the Integrative Plant Science MPS encompasses strategies and tactics for managing insect pests, weeds, and plant pathogens. Students in this concentration take courses with Integrated Pest Management experts and master the application of applied concepts from allied fields such as economics, ecology, and toxicology. 

The increasing demand for agricultural products is driving both an increased value of agricultural products and value of protecting those products from pests.  These trends are creating an increasing demand for trained pest management professionals to work in long-term positions with corporations or government agencies and to work as shorter term consultants.

MPS Degree Requirements

The CALS MPS degree is a one-year, course-based program where students study the intricacies and in-depth questions of their field of study. Instead of a thesis or research project, MPS students complete a capstone project during their final semester. To understand this difference in greater detail, please visit our FAQ page. Students earning the MPS in Integrative Plant Science complete 30 credits of graduate level courses (5000+), with at least 20 of these credits earned through the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, and at least 18 of these credits taken for letter grade. (Note that physical education courses and language courses do not count towards degree.)

The Integrative Plant Science Master of Professional Studies program is a STEM-designated degree with coursework requirements that differ slightly from other MPS programs at Cornell. 

Specific course requirements of the Integrative Plant Science MPS Degree are as follows:

  • Core Courses (13 credits minimum):
    • Professional Development (5 – 9 credits)
    • Quantitative Literacy (2 – 6 credits)
    • Capstone Project (2 – 6 credits)
  • Concentration Courses (12 credits minimum):
    • Courses specific to your concentration
  • Elective Courses (5 credits minimum)
    • Graduate level course you choose in consultation with your advisor.

Note: 2.5 GPA required for graduation.

Here are some of the courses you can take to fulfill the field core requirements. Courses are not necessarily offered every semester or every year. Refer to the Courses of Study website for details.

Professional Development: 5-9 credits

  • PLSCI 5050 Cultivating Community through Self-discovery and Skill Development (2 credits)
  • PADM 5431 Fundraising, Grantmaking, and Lobbying (1.5 credits)
  • NCC 5540 Managing and Leading Organizations (3 credits)
  • NBA 5690 Management Consulting Essentials (1.5 credits)
  • NBA 5670 Management Writing (1.5 credits) 
  • NBA 5640 The Business of Entrepreneurship (3 credits) 
  • NBA 5380 The Business Idea Factory (1.5 credits)
  • NBA 5150 Leadership Theory & Practice (3 credits)
  • NBA 5070 Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers (3 credits) 
  • ILRHR 6640 HR Research for Executive Decision-Making (3 credits) 
  • HADM 6130 Entrepreneurial Management (3 credits) 
  • GDEV 6820 Community Organizing and Development (3 credits) 
  • COMM 5660 Science Communication Workshop (1 credits) 
  • ALS 5211 Career Readiness: Engaged Learning for CALS Professional Master’s Students (1 credit)
  • AEM 6145 Business and Management Fundamentals for STEM Graduate Students (1.5 credits) 
  • AEM 5700 MPS Management Communication (1.5 credits)
  • AEM 5110 Design and Innovation (3 credits) 

Quantitative Literacy: 2-6 credits

  • STSCI 5200 Biological Stats 1 (4 credits) 
  • STSCI 5150 Introductory Statistics for Biology (4 credits) 
  • STSCI 5120 Intro to R Programming (2 credits)
  • SOC 6310 Qualitative Research Methods for Studying Science, Technology, and Medicine (3 credits)
  • SOC 6010 Statistics for Sociological Research (4 credits)
  • PUBPOL 6040 Qualitative, Survey, and Mixed Method Approaches to Policy Research (3 credits)
  • ILRST 6100 Statistical Methods I (4 credits)
  • GOVT 6019 Introduction to Probability and Applied Statistics (4 credits)
  • GDEV 6190 Quantitative Research Methods (4 credits)
  • ENTOM 6060 Applied Statistics: Biological Experiments in Practice (4 credits)
  • DEA 6560 Research Methods in Social Sciences (4 credits)
  • CRP 6201 Research Design and Qualitative Methods (3 credits) 
  • COMM 6820 Quantitative Research Methods (3 credits) 
  • CEE 5980 Decision Framing and Analytics (3 credits) 
  • BTRY 6010 Statistical Methods I (4 credits) 
  • BTRY 5090 Theory of Statistics (4 credits) 
  • BTRY 5010 Biological Statistics I (4 credits)
  • AEM 5605 Predictive Analytics for Business Strategy (2 credits) 
  • AEM 5510 Environmental Economics (3 credits) 
  • AEM 5225 Systems and Analytics in Accounting (3 credits) 

Capstone Project Courses: 2-6 credits

  • ALS 5900 Master of Professional Studies Project Development (1-5 credits)
  • ALS 5910 Master of Professional Studies Project Completion (1 credit)

12 credit minimum of Primary and Secondary Concentration Courses with at least 5 credits from Primary. Refer to the Courses of Study website for details.

Primary Courses: 5 credit minimum 

  • PLSCI 6610 Diagnostic Lab Experience (1-2 credits, variable credits)
  • PLSCI 6010 Molecular Biology of Plant-Microbe Interactions (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 5440/ENTOM 5440 Integrated Pest Management (4 credits)
  • PLSCI 5150 Weed Biology and Management (4 credits)
  • PLSCI 5010 Biology and Management of Plant Diseases (4 credits)

Secondary Courses:

  • PLSCI 6140 Weed Ecology and Management (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 5940 Skills for Public Engagement (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 5290 Remote Sensing and Modeling for Ecosystems (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 5110 Field Crop Systems (4 credits)

Next steps

Deadline to apply: January 15*

*For regular Fall Semester start. Late applications may be accepted under exceptional circumstances.  Contact Tara Reed for more information: tln2 [at] cornell.edu (tln2[at]cornell[dot]edu).

 

Graduate student working with diseased plants in growth chamber

Meet some of our Plant Protection Concentration faculty

plant protection faculty spotlight

Antonio DiTommaso

Toni's research focuses on gaining a more in-depth understanding of the basic biological/ecological principles governing agricultural and environmental weed population dynamics that ultimately lead to the development and implementation of safe, effective, sustainable and economically viable weed management strategies.  He is also Section Chair and Director of Graduate Studies in Soil and Crop Sciences.

Toni DiTommaso outside Bradfield Hall
Carlyn Buckler
Carlyn Buckler

Associate Professor of Practice

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Carlyn Buckler
  • csb36 [at] cornell.edu
Science communication and digital technologies
Plant genetics
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Clare Casteel
Clare Casteel

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Clare Casteel
  • clc269 [at] cornell.edu
Plant-virus-vector and plant-insect interactions
Molecular & chemical ecology and soil microbiomes
Healthy agroecosystems, climate resilience and organic farming
A man stands smiling in a fruit orchard
Kerik Cox

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Cornell AgriTech

Kerik Cox
Orchard fungal ecology
Fungicide resistance
Pesticide stewardship, fruit pathology
Toni Ditommaso headshot
Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Associate Director

Cornell AES

Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso
Weed ecology and biological weed management
Invasive plant species
Climate change impacts on weed performance and distributions
Michelle Heck
Michelle Heck

Adjunct Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Michelle Heck
  • mlc68 [at] cornell.edu
Molecular interactions among plant pathogens, insect vectors, and plant hosts
Jian Hua
Jian Hua

Professor and Section Head

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Biology Section

Jian Hua
Environmental responses; Adaptation; temperature; immunity; plants
vipan kumar headshot
Vipan Kumar

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Vipan Kumar
Integrated weed management, including weed biology and ecology, crop-weed competition and cover crops
Herbicide-resistant weeds and herbicide-based weed control
Artificial intelligence and precision weed control
portrait of Betsy Lamb
Elizabeth Lamb

Senior Extension Associate, Ornamentals IPM Coordinator

NYS Integrated Pest Management

Adjunct Assistant Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Elizabeth Lamb
Ornamental and greenhouse integrated pest management
louis longchamps
Louis Longchamps

Assistant Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Louis Longchamps
  • ll928 [at] cornell.edu
Farm data management
Farmer-centric on-farm experimentation
Precision agriculture
A man in a blue shirt sits at a lab desk, facing the camera.
John Losey

Professor

Department of Entomology

John Losey
Rebecca Nelson
Rebecca Nelson

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Professor

Department of Global Development

Rebecca Nelson
Circular bionutrient economy and enhancing wellbeing in peri-urban areas through waste valorization
Agroecology and supporting student leadership toward sustainability
Participatory research and extension
Teresa E. Pawlowska
Teresa Pawlowska

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Teresa Pawlowska
Evolutionary and population genomics
Innate immunity in fungi and fungal-bacterial interactions
Arbuscular mycorrhizae
Frank S. Rossi
Frank Rossi

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Frank Rossi
Lawn, golf and sports turf
Urban grasslands management
Chris Smart
Christine Smart

Goichman Family Director

Cornell AgriTech

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Christine Smart
Biology and management of vegetable diseases
Host-pathogen interactions
Karen Snover-Clift
Karen Snover-Clift

Senior Extension Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Karen Snover-Clift
Plant disease diagnosis
Plant pathology training of Master Gardeners, Extension Educators, and green industry members
Joyce Van Eck
Joyce Van Eck

Adjunct Assistant Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Breeding and Genetics Section

Joyce Van Eck
  • jv27 [at] cornell.edu
Biotechnological approaches to the study of gene function and crop improvement
Disease resistance
Nutritional quality
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More information

Application fee waivers - International applicants, as well as U.S. applicants, may be eligible for an application fee waiver for financial hardship and other reasons. More information.

Questions about Integrative Plant Science MPS? Contact us:

Bill Miller
Director of Graduate Studies
Graduate Field of Integrative Plant Science (IPS)
Phone: (607) 255-1799
Email: wbm8 [at] cornell.edu (wbm8[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Tara Reed
Program Coordinator
Graduate Field of Integrative Plant Science (IPS)
Phone: (607) 255-2131
Email: sips-mps [at] cornell.edu (sips-mps[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Marvin Pritts
Student Experience Coordinator
Graduate Field of Integrative Plant Science (IPS)
Phone: (607) 255-1778
Email: mpp3 [at] cornell.edu (mpp3[at]cornell[dot]edu)