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.

Soil sample pulled from field

News

Organic crop practices affect long-term soil health
The study also breaks down how specific components of soil health – such as the abundance and activity of soil animals and soil stability – affect crop productivity. “With growing interest from farmers in being able to harness and exploit soil...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
  • Department of Entomology
A man sitting at a computer typing

News

'Locally grown' broccoli looks, tastes better to consumers
But the New York broccoli fared much better in a subsequent series of tests. It earned the highest marks for flavor and consumers were willing to pay more for it – on par with the California variety. What changed? The second group was told the...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
In the foreground, a red sign reads Climate Change Garden. In the background, two women tend to leafy plants in a garden bed.

Spotlight

CALS propels Cornell's climate change research
Of course, there has always been occasional mixing, as animals and underwater waves move through the lake. But global warming is driving a bigger wedge between Lake Tanganyika’s warm and cool water zones. As the surface warms at an accelerating...
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section
Sliced watermelon laid face up on a table

News

New genomic analysis may lead to improved watermelon
Indeed, watermelon is one of the world’s most popular fruits, second only to tomato – which many consider a vegetable. But there are six wild species of watermelon, all with pale, hard and bitter fruits. Researchers have now taken a...
  • Boyce Thompson Institute
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe 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.