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.

News

Forage and Fuel: Feeding the Global Appetites

By the middle of this century, the global population is estimated to reach 9 billion. There will not be just more mouths to feed: Demand will grow for animal feed, for land on which to grow feed and food, and for energy to produce it all. What...

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
A researcher surveys blossoms in an apple orchard for native bees

News

Leap of faith proves pollination can be honeybee free
As the state’s Land-Grant institution, Cornell University was born to explore science for the public good—a mission that can sometimes require a leap of faith. Just such a leap paid off this year at Cornell Orchards. While crisp apples and fresh...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
  • Agriculture

News

$18.5 Million Grant to Boost Breeding of Global Staples

To streamline the breeding of five staple crops—wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and chickpea—the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded Cornell $18.5 million for a project that will put modular, open-source breeding software resources into the...

  • Global Development Section
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section

News

New Alfalfas Adapted for Northeast Pests and Productivity

By Alex Koeberle ’13 New York farmers foraging for alfalfa varieties have three new, robust options. Developed by professor of plant breeding Donald Viands; senior research associate Julie Hansen ’80, M.S. ’88, Ph.D. ’89; and research support...

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics 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.