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.

Anthocerotibacter panamensis under a microscope

News

Species discovery sheds light on early photosynthesis
Led by Boyce Thompson Institute faculty member Fay-Wei Li, researchers have discovered a new species of cyanobacteria, Anthocerotibacter panamensis, which could help illuminate how photosynthesis evolved to create the world as we know it. The...
  • Boyce Thompson Institute
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
Rows of grape vines in a field at Cornell AgriTech Gates farm.

News

Cheap, user-friendly smartphone app predicts vineyard yields
The new method allows a grower to use a smartphone to video grape vines while driving a tractor or walking through the vineyard at night. Growers may then upload their video to a server to process the data. The system relies on computer-vision...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Grape flowers

News

Grape genetics research reveals what makes the perfect flower
When today’s growers cultivate new varieties — trying to produce better tasting and more disease-resistant grapes — it takes 2-4 years for breeders to learn if they have the genetic ingredients for the perfect flower. Females set fruit, but...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
A group of women with bt eggplant in a field

News

Evanega wins 2021 Borlaug CAST Communication Award
The award recognizes Cornell Alliance for Science Director Sarah Evanega, Ph.D. ’09 for outstanding achievement in the advancement of science in the public policy arena.
  • Global Development Section
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section

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.