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.

field day

News

Workshop fuels discussion about biochar, NYS climate goals
As Gov. Andrew Cuomo was preparing to sign the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act into law, which he did July 18, researchers, policymakers and industry members gathered at Cornell’s pyrolysis facility in Leland Laboratory to...
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
A drone appears in front of four male researchers

News

By land and air, students to detect crop diseases with tech
Northern leaf blight – a devastating fungal disease of maize – often begins where farmers can’t easily detect it, far beneath the plants’ dense canopy. But a ground rover exploring the plants from below, in communication with an airborne drone...
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
  • Agriculture
  • Digital Agriculture
A student uses tweezers to examine a plant in a glass jar under a chemical hood

News

CALS signs new admissions agreement with Binghamton University
This is a 3 + 4 program that will allow qualified Cornell students to complete their Bachelor of Science Degree in Plant Sciences through coursework taken in their first professional year at Binghamton. “We’re thrilled to have developed this...
  • Current Undergraduate Student
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
A woman stands in a garden and smiles

News

Specht named new dean for diversity and inclusion at College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
As a member of the CALS senior leadership team and the college’s key diversity officer, Specht will lead college-wide diversity initiatives. These efforts include recruiting and hiring diverse faculty, supporting scholarship, and developing...
  • Faculty
  • School of Integrative Plant Science

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.