students examinng soil in soil pit

Soil Science MPS Concentration

Expand your understanding of the physical, chemical and biological aspects of sustainable soil management.

Program overview

The Soil Science concentration within the Integrative Plant Science MPS focuses on a range of topics such as soil as a medium for crop production; soil, carbon and nutrient interactions; soil ecology; soil contaminants and remediation; soil and water cycles; and overall soil health.

Soil science brings together the basic disciplines of biology, physics and chemistry to discover fundamental principles and put them in the service of management solutions. Soil is a foundational resource that sustains all terrestrial life and contributes to food production, climate change and water resources. Soil sustainability is essential to human civilization and soil management decisions cause major changes to our biosphere.

Students learn about both agricultural and environmental challenges, and their work may include field and laboratory activities, as well as data analytics and digital solutions.

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)
  • 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 6200 Analysis of Spatial Data: A Case-Based Approach (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 5660 Soil Ecology (4 credits)
  • PLSCI 5600 Soil Science (4 credits)
  • PLSCI 5210 Soil and Crop Management for Sustainability (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 5200 Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)

Secondary Courses:

  • PLSCI 6720 Nutrient and Carbon Cycling and Management in Ecosystems (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 6630 Pedology (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 6250 Data-Model Fusion in Research (3 credits)
  • PLSCI 6017 Cropping Systems Ecology (1 credits)
  • PLSCI 5140 Global Cropping Systems and Sustainable Development (3 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).

soil samples showing range of colors

Meet some of our Soil Science faculty

Faculty spotlight

Jonathan Russell-Anelli

Jonathan studies the spatial distribution and variability of urban soil characteristics including investigations of the scale and distribution of contaminants in relation to soil forming factors and processes.  He works in partnership with the USDA/National Resource Conservation Service’s National Cooperative Soil Survey program in New York State to map and interpret soil properties for multiple uses and users.

jonathan-russell-anelli-teaching-in-soil-pit
taryn bauerle
Taryn Bauerle

Professor, Director of Graduate Studies

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Taryn Bauerle
Woody plant root biology and physiological ecology
Water stress
Root herbivory
Daniel Buckley
Dan Buckley

Soil and Crop Sciences Section Head and Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Professor

Microbiology

Dan Buckley
Microbial diversity
Bacterial population structure in soils
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
Deborah Grantham
Deborah Grantham

Senior Extension Associate and Director Northeastern IPM Center

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Deborah Grantham
Natural resources and the environment
Watershed education
Soil hyperspectral reflectance
Peter Hobbs
Peter Hobbs

Adjunct Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Peter Hobbs
International agriculture
Tropical cropping systems
Agroforestry
Johannes Lehmann
Johannes Lehmann

Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Professor

Department of Global Development

Johannes Lehmann
Soil biogeochemistry, fertility management, organic matter, and carbon and nutrient cycling from wastes
Soil carbon sequestration and biochar systems
Sustainable agriculture in the tropics
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
Carmen Enid Martinez
Carmen Enid Martinez

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Carmen Enid Martinez
Soil biogeochemistry
Nutrient and mineral cycling
Soil organic matter
man in apple orchard
Gregory Peck

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Gregory Peck
Tree fruit and hard cider
Organic agriculture and soil health
Climate change
Jonathan Russell-Anelli
Jonathan Russell-Anelli

Senior Lecturer / Senior Extension Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Jonathan Russell-Anelli
Urban Soils: Dynamic Soil Properties, Soil Survey & Soil Inventory
Circular Economies: Carbon, Bionutrient & Waste Cycling
Soil Healthy: Contaminants & Sustainable Food Production
Janice Thies
Janice Thies

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Janice Thies
Soil ecology
Soil biology quality assessment and remediation
International agriculture
Harold van Es
Harold van Es

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Harold van Es
Soil health
Precision nitrogen management (Adapt-N)
Digital agriculture
Dominic Woolf
Dominic Woolf

Senior Research Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Dominic Woolf
  • dw433 [at] cornell.edu
Soil carbon sequestration and climate-smart agriculture
Sustainable landscape management, agroforestry reforestration and restoration of degraded land
Biochar
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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)