Program Overview
The Climate Change and Agriculture concentration within the Integrative Plant Science MPS provides a solid foundation in the diverse sciences we need to solve the greatest challenge of our times. You will learn about climate science, climate change mitigation and adaptation with respect to global cropping systems and sustainable development, biogeochemistry, soil nutrient and carbon cycling, and science policy. You will become proficient in handling and analyzing remote sensing data and in ecosystem modeling. Your experience and skills will help you stand out from the crowd when searching for climate change related positions in government, NGO and private sectors.
Concentration details
Knowledge and skills gained in this focus area provide a foundation for a variety of career opportunities including:
- Climate/environmental scientist
- Biofuels specialist
- Climate smart farming specialist
- Sustainability consultant
- Conservation scientist
- Woody plant root biology and physiological ecology
- Water stress
- Root herbivory
- Quantitative genetics and genomics
- High-throughput phenotyping tools
- Nutritional genomics
- Plant ecology
- Ecosystem services and disservices
- Aerobiology
- Soil biogeochemistry, fertility management, organic matter, and carbon and nutrient cycling from wastes
- Soil carbon sequestration and biochar systems
- Sustainable agriculture in the tropics
- On-farm research
- Precision agriculture
- Site-specific weed management and variable rate nitrogen management
- Agricultural sustainability, food security, water resources and climate
- Cropping systems ecology, International agriculture, policy, and applied social sciences
- Genetics of quantitative disease resistance in plants
- International agriculture and rural development
- Mycotoxin management
- Drought and environmental stress physiology,
- International agriculture
- Maize, wheat and cassava breeding and genomics
- Geographic information science and systems and natural resources management
- Integration of in social and cultural data in GIS and humanitarian mapping projects
- Geospatial literacy and spatial thinking, GIS in Higher Education
- Canopy- to global-scale modeling
- Geospatial analysis and big data synthesis
- Remote sensing
- International agriculture
- Soil biology quality assessment and remediation
- Soil ecology
- Agricultural and forest ecosystems
- Geospatial modeling, land use and environmental quality
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Biochar, Soil carbon sequestration and climate-smart agriculture
- Sustainable landscape management, agroforestry reforestration and restoration of degraded land
View all Integrative Plant Science MPS faculty | Explore all faculty interests and focus area careers
To learn more about these courses, visit the Courses of Study website.
Coursework is specifically designed to meet the needs of each student. A minimum of 30 credit hours related to the candidate's professional interest is required to graduate. The student and their faculty advisor decide on a plan of study. Here are some of the classes that are available; there are several more from which to choose:
Fall
- ALS 5900 Master of Professional Studies Project Development
- PLSCI 5500 Cultivating Community through Self-discovery and Skill Development
- PLSCS 5140 Global Cropping Systems
- EAS 5443 Global Climate Change Science and Policy
- PLSCS 6100 Plant Responses to Environmental Stresses
- PLSCS 6720 Nutrient Cycling in Natural and Managed Ecosystems
Spring
- ALS 5900 Master of Professional Studies Project Development
- ALS 5910 Master of Professional Studies Project Completion
- ALS 5211 Career Readiness: Engaged Learning for CALS Professional Master’s Students
- ENTOM 5440 Integrated Pest Management
- BIOEE 6680 Principles of Biogeochemistry
Other courses of interest:
- PLPPM 5010 Biology and Management of Plant Diseases
- PLSCS 5200 Geographic Information Systems
- PLSCS 5210 Soil and Crop Management for Sustainability
- PLBRG 6080 Methods of Plant Breeding Lab
- PLSCS 5290 Remote Sensing and Modeling for Ecosystems
- PLBRG 6030 Genetic Improvement of Crop Plants
- PLSCS 6600 Remote Sensing Fundamentals
- PLSCS 6710 Soil Chemistry
The ideal candidate will demonstrate a passion for working with plants, competency in undergraduate science coursework, and interest in applying knowledge gained in a professional career. Admission requirements include:
- Online application through Cornell Graduate School
- Bachelor’s degree in scientific field
- For non-science background, at least 15 credit hours of introductory college-level science courses, including general chemistry, general biology, and corresponding labs
- Current résumé or CV
- Two letters of recommendation
- TOEFL/IELTS for international applicants, per Graduate School guidelines
CALS MPS program details
Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program is an accredited, course-based, one-year Master’s degree program that emphasizes professional development and intellectual investigation in the areas of agriculture, life sciences and global development.
Though similar to a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in its academic rigor, the MPS degree differs from a traditional M.S. degree in its structure and focus. An M.S. is research-based, with students building a thesis over the course of two or three years. In contrast, the 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.
MPS students are part of a community of diverse students and faculty who share common goals, connecting research and practice to solve complex problems.
The Master of Professional Studies program has two main components:
- Coursework: Students work with a faculty advisor to map out their individualized course of study based on their areas of interest. The majority of courses (20 credits) will be within CALS; however, students have the opportunity to take courses across Cornell.
- Capstone project: With the guidance of a faculty advisor, students work on solving a real-world problem.
- Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours related to the candidate's professional interest, as agreed upon with the faculty advisor.
(a) Twenty credit hours must be taken within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and at least 30 credits must be in graduate-level courses (5000-level and higher).
(b) A maximum of 6 of the required 30 credit hours may be earned through the student's problem-solving project (see third bullet).
(c) A maximum of 6 graduate-level credit hours earned outside the program, at Cornell University or elsewhere, may be counted toward these requirements at the discretion of the student's faculty advisor. These credits must be appropriate to the subject of study and completed not more than five years before admission. - Completion of a minimum of two semesters. One semester must be earned by carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours. In certain circumstances, the second semester credit may be earned by accumulating the remaining credit hours in the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions at Cornell University or through transfer of credit (see item c above).
- Satisfactory completion of a problem-solving project under the supervision of the faculty advisor. This project may be an action program, the development of a plan to address a pertinent problem, the development of materials or methodology suited to the student's situation, or the development and execution of research appropriate to the profession. A formal project report must be submitted to and approved by the candidate's faculty advisor.
- A minimum semester grade point average of 2.5 (minimum of 18 credit hours with letter grades at Cornell).
- Completion of the degree within four years of admission. Some fields of study may have special requirements, so students should check with the field's director of graduate studies for specific details.
Students work with top-ranked faculty who are leaders in their field on an experiential project that fosters professional skill development through the creation of solutions to real-world problems.
Next steps
Deadline to apply: February 15*
- Request more information
- How to apply
- Apply now
- calsprofprograms [at] cornell.edu (subject: More%20information%20about%20MPS%20CEA%20admissions) (Email us with questions)
*For regular Fall Semester start. Late applications may be accepted under exceptional circumstances. Contact Tara Reed for more information: tln2 [at] cornell.edu.
Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assocation.

Meet some of our Climate Change and Agriculture faculty
Faculty spotlight
Johannes Lehmann
Johannes focuses his research and teaching in soil biogeochemistry and soil fertility management. His specialization is in soil organic matter and nutrient studies of managed and natural ecosystems with a focus on soil carbon sequestration, nutrient recycling from wastes, biochar systems, circular economy, and sustainable agriculture in the tropics (especially Africa). His research stretches from ultra-fine scale microscopy to examine carbon stabilization in soils to global-scale carbon and nutrient cycles.


Professor, Director of Graduate Studies
School of Integrative Plant Science
Horticulture Section
- (607) 254-4867
- tlb33 [at] cornell.edu

Professor and Chair
School of Integrative Plant Science
Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
- (607) 255-5492
- mag87 [at] cornell.edu
- (510) 207-9928
- dsk273 [at] cornell.edu

Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
Professor
Department of Global Development
- (607) 254-1236
- cl273 [at] cornell.edu

Assistant Professor
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
- ll928 [at] cornell.edu

Associate Professor
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
Associate Professor
Department of Global Development
- ajm9 [at] cornell.edu

Professor
School of Integrative Plant Science
Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
Professor
Department of Global Development
- (607) 254-7475
- rjn7 [at] cornell.edu

Retired Faculty
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
- (607) 255-1701
- tls1 [at] cornell.edu

Adjunct Associate Professor
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
- dss326 [at] cornell.edu
- (607) 255-4255
- ys776 [at] cornell.edu
- (607) 255-5099
- jet25 [at] cornell.edu

Senior Research Associate
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
- (607) 255-1448
- pbw1 [at] cornell.edu

Senior Research Associate
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section
- dw433 [at] cornell.edu
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.