Plant Systems MPS Focus Area

Program overview

The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Agriculture and Life Sciences focus area in Plant Systems allows for maximum flexibility in curriculum design and project work. With nearly fifty MPS faculty advisors who offer diverse areas of expertise, you can customize a curriculum that is relevant to individual passions, interests, and career goals.

Explore facets of sustainable agriculture, food security issues, international agriculture, environmental information systems, climate change, biodiversity conservation, human-plant interactions, computational biology, garden-based learning, agricultural education and more. The options are limited only by your imagination.

Focus Area details

Careers

With an MPS in Plant Systems, you will be exceptionally well qualified for plant scientist positions in the public, private and academic sectors. Depending on how you configure your major, you might find work or create your own job as:

Garden educator
Urban forester
Arborist
Landscape designer
Landscape technician
Plant ecologist
Extension educator
Crop consultant
Lab or field scientist
Specialty crop entrepreneur
Ecosystem analyst
Food system specialist
Non-profit agriculture organization leader
Orchard manager
Paleobotanist
Forensic botanist
Greenhouse/nursery specialist
Flower bulb specialist
Agricultural educator
Berry grower
Vegetable grower
Specialty crop grower/organic farmer
Golf and sports turf specialist
Urban grassland specialist
Computational biologist

Faculty and their interests

Nina Bassuk

Street trees
woody plant propagation
landscape management

Mark Bridgen

Ornamental plant breeding
Cell and tissue culture
Greenhouse floriculture

William Crepet

Plant systematics and phylogeny
Flowering plants
Paleobotany

Marcia Eames-Sheavly

Art of horticulture
Garden-based learning Engaged learning and child and youth development

Michelle Heck

Molecular interactions among plant pathogens, insect vectors, and plant hosts

Ashley Helmholdt

Garden-based learning

Kathie Hodge

Mycology
Fungal systematics
Fungal pathogens of insects

Jian Hua

Environmental responses; Adaptation; temperature; immunity; plants

Yu Jiang

Agricultural robotics and artificial Intelligence
High throughput plant phenotyping
Image processing

Betsy Lamb

Ornamental and greenhouse integrated pest management

Jason Londo

Grape stress physiology genetics and genomics

William Miller

Flower bulbs and floriculture
Greenhouse and nursery crops
Physiology and post-harvest management
CEA/Greenhouse hemp production

Teresa Pawlowska

Evolutionary and population genomics
Innate immunity in fungi and fungal-bacterial interactions
Arbuscular mycorrhizae

Greg Peck

Tree fruits
Hard cider
Organic production

Jeff Perry

Extension Education
Teaching Methods
Youth Leadership Development

Marvin Pritts

Berry crops
Season extension
Sustainable production practices

Anu Rangarajan

Fresh market vegetable production
Organic and reduced tillage vegetable production
Small farms and sustainable agriculture

Steve Reiners

Organic gardening
Processing vegetables (peas, beans, sweet corn)
Vegetable production systems

Bruce Reisch

Grape breeding and genomics
Marker-assisted selection
Molecular genetic mapping

Frank Rossi

Lawn, golf and sports turf,
Urban grasslands management

Sonja Skelly

Plants and human well being
Public garden management School & youth gardening, adult education

Karen Snover-Clift

Plant disease diagnosis
Plant pathology training of Master Gardeners, Extension Educators, and green industry members

Peter Woodbury

Agricultural and forest ecosystems
Geospatial modeling, land use and environmental quality
Greenhouse gas emissions

View all Integrative Plant Science MPS faculty | Explore all faculty interests and focus area careers

Sample curriculum

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:

Integrative Plant Science Core:

Required:

PLSCI 5500 Cultivating Community through Self-discovery and Skill Development
ALS 5900 Master of Professional Studies Project Development
ALS 5910 Master of Professional Studies Project Completion

Recommended:

ALS 5211 Career Readiness: Engaged Learning for CALS Professional Master’s Students

Plant Systems Courses (recommended):

PLPPM 5010 Biology and Management of Plant Diseases
PLSCS 5200 Geographic Information Systems
PLSCS 5210 Soil and Crop Management for Sustainability
PADM 5410 Non Profit Management and Finance
ENTOM 5440 Integrated Pest Management
EAS 5443 Global Climate Change Science and Policy
PLSCS 5660 Soil Ecology
VIEN 5700 Winemaking Theory and Practice II
LA 5910 Creating the Urban Eden: Woody Plant Selection, Design, and Landscape Establishment
LA 5920 Creating the Urban Eden: Woody Plant Selection, Design, and Landscape Establishment
BTRY 6010 Statistical Methods I
PLPPM 6010 Molecular Biology of Plant Microbe Interactions
PLBRG 6070 Nutritional Quality Improvement of Food Crops
PLBRG 6080 Methods of Plant Breeding Lab
PLHRT 6551 Principles of Nutrition and Nutrient Management in Crops and Landscape Plants
COMM 6660 Public Engagement in Science
BIOEE 6680 Principles of Biogeochemistry
PLHRT 5000 Annual and Perennial Plants in the Landscape
PLHRT 5025 Hydroponic Food Crop Production and Management
PLSCS 5110 Field Crop Systems
PLSCS 5140 Global Cropping Systems
PLSCS 5150 Weed Biology and Management
PLSCS 5290 Remote Sensing and Modeling for Ecosystems
PLBIO 5430 Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering of Plants
PLBIO 5431 Laboratory in Molecular Biology and Genetic Eng
PLHRT 5850 Public Garden Management
PLSCI 5940 Skills for Public Engagement
PLHRT 6020 Plant Propagation
PLBRG 6030 Genetic Improvement of Crop Plants
PLSCS 6100 Plant Responses to Environmental Stresses
PLSCS 6140 Weed Ecology and Management
PLHRT 6170 Advanced Analytical Methods for Plant Systems
PLHRT 6175/4175 Production and Marketing of Greenhouse Crops
PLSCS 6200 Spatial Modeling and Analysis
PLBIO 6410 Laboratory in Plant Molecular Biology
PLSCS 6420 Mineral Nutrition: From Plants to Humans
PLSCS 6600 Remote Sensing Fundamentals
PLSCS 6630 Pedology
PLSCS 6660 Applied Plant Microbe Interactions
PLSCS 6710 Soil Chemistry
PLSCS 6720 Nutrient Cycling in Natural and Managed Ecosystems
PLBIO 6831 Concepts and Techniques in Plant Molecular Biology
PLBRG 7170 Quantitative Genetics in Plant Breeding

Admission requirements

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a passion for working in Soil Science, 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

Apply now

CALS MPS program details

Program Description

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.

MPS Program Structure

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.

Degree Requirements

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.

MPS Capstone Project

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.

Browse recent projects.

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.

two students working with hemp in greenhouse

Meet some of our Plant Systems faculty

Meet all Plant Science MPS faculty.

Faculty spotlight

Yu Jiang

Yu Jiang’s research focuses on systems engineering and data analytics for specialty crops and involves interdisciplinary innovation among engineering, computer science, and plant science. His interests include agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence, image processing and high throughput plant phenotyping.

Visit Yu Jiang's profile page

Nina Bassuk

Emeritus Faculty

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Nina Bassuk

(607) 255-4586
nlb2 [at] cornell.edu

Urban horticulture

Woody plants, landscape management and propagation,

Cornell Structural Soil

Mark Bridgen

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Plant Breeding and Genetics Section

Director, Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center

Cornell AES

Mark Bridgen

(631) 727-3595
mpb27 [at] cornell.edu

Ornamental plant breeding

Cell and tissue culture

Greenhouse floriculture

William Crepet

Professor and Chair

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Biology Section

William Crepet

(607) 255-4075
wlc1 [at] cornell.edu

Plant systematics and phylogeny

Flowering plants

Paleobotany

Marcia Eames-Sheavly

Senior Extension Associate and Senior Lecturer (retired)

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Marcia Eames-Sheavly

(607) 255-1781
me14 [at] cornell.edu

Garden-based learning

Engaged learning and child and youth development

Art of horticulture

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

Ashley Helmholdt

Adult Program Leader, Cornell Garden-Based Learning

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Ashley Helmholdt

alm443 [at] cornell.edu

Garden-based learning

Kathie Hodge

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Kathie Hodge

(607) 255-5356
kh11 [at] cornell.edu

Fungal systematics

Fungal pathogens of insects

Jian Hua

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Biology Section

Jian Hua

(607) 255-5554
jh299 [at] cornell.edu

Environmental responses; Adaptation; temperature; immunity; plants

Yu Jiang

Assistant Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Cornell AgriTech

Yu Jiang

(315) 787-2220
yj522 [at] cornell.edu

Agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence

Image processing

High throughput plant phenotyping

Elizabeth Lamb

Senior Extension Associate, Ornamentals IPM Coordinator

NYS Integrated Pest Management

Adjunct Assistant Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Elizabeth Lamb

(607) 254-8800
eml38 [at] cornell.edu

Ornamental and greenhouse integrated pest management

Jason Londo

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Cornell AgriTech

Jason Londo

(315) 787-2463
jpl275 [at] cornell.edu

Fruit crop stress physiology and adaptation

Graft physiology and phenotypic plasticity

Comparative genetics and genomics

Bill Miller

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Bill Miller

(607) 255-1799
wbm8 [at] cornell.edu

Flower bulbs and floriculture

Greenhouse and nursery crops

Physiology and post-harvest management

Gaurav Moghe

Assistant Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Biology Section

Gaurav Moghe

(607) 255-5714
gdm67 [at] cornell.edu

Evolution of plant specialized metabolism

plant natural variation; genomics

metabolomics

Teresa Pawlowska

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Teresa Pawlowska

(607) 342-3866
tep8 [at] cornell.edu

Evolutionary and population genomics

Innate immunity in fungi and fungal-bacterial interactions

Arbuscular mycorrhizae

Gregory Peck

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Gregory Peck

(607) 255-7122
gmp32 [at] cornell.edu

Tree fruit and hard cider

Organic agriculture and soil health

Climate change

Jeffrey Perry

Senior Lecturer

Department of Global Development

Jeffrey Perry

(607) 220-6139
jap255 [at] cornell.edu

Extension Education

Teaching Methods

Youth Leadership Development

Marvin Pritts

Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Plant Sciences Major

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Professor

Department of Global Development

Marvin Pritts

(607) 255-1778
mpp3 [at] cornell.edu

Berry crops

Season extension

Sustainable production practices

Anusuya Rangarajan

Senior Extension Associate and Director, Cornell Small Farm Program

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Anusuya Rangarajan

(607) 255-1780
ar47 [at] cornell.edu

Fresh market vegetable production

Small farms and sustainable agriculture

Organic and reduced tillage vegetable production

Steve Reiners

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Cornell AgriTech

Steve Reiners

(315) 787-2311
sr43 [at] cornell.edu

Processing vegetables (peas, beans, sweet corn)

Vegetable production systems

Organic gardening

Bruce Reisch

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Plant Breeding and Genetics Section

Cornell AgriTech

Bruce Reisch

(315) 787-2239
bir1 [at] cornell.edu

Grape breeding and genomics

Molecular genetic mapping

Marker-assisted selection

Frank Rossi

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Frank Rossi

(607) 227-5873
fsr3 [at] cornell.edu

Lawn, golf and sports turf

Urban grasslands management

Karen Snover-Clift

Senior Extension Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Karen Snover-Clift

(607) 255-7860
kls13 [at] cornell.edu

Plant disease diagnosis

Plant pathology training of Master Gardeners, Extension Educators, and green industry members

Sonja Skelly

Director of Education, Cornell Botanic Gardens and Adjunct Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Sonja Skelly

sms92 [at] cornell.edu

Public garden management

School & youth gardening, adult education

Plants and human well being

Peter Woodbury

Senior Research Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Peter Woodbury

(607) 255-1448
pbw1 [at] cornell.edu

Agricultural and forest ecosystems

Greenhouse gas emissions

Geospatial modeling, land use and environmental quality

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.