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.

Researchers discussing the development of HelioSkin

News

Solar solutions: Bio-inspired approach creates bespoke photovoltaics

An interdisciplinary team of Cornell researchers is developing HelioSkin, an aesthetically appealing solar-collection fabric that is inspired by the biological mechanisms that enable plants to bend toward the sun.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
  • Solar
The Art of Discussion Faculty Panel

News

CTI explores “The Art of Teaching” in new series

Teaching is a practice, and a craft. It’s also an art. And the art of teaching is the subject of a new workshop series, which debuts this February at the Center for Teaching Innovation, with “The Art of Discussion.”

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
  • Plants
Rows of dormant grapevines

News

Chaotic springs, long summers mean uncertainty for NY grape growers

Warmer autumns and more “false” springs are disrupting the signals grapevines rely on to gain cold hardiness for the winter and blossom effectively in the spring, according to new research from Cornell AgriTech.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Fruits
Presenters and posters at a farm

News

Summer farm internships offer learning and growth
Sarah Flanagan ’26 has known since high school that she wanted a career in agriculture to help reduce global food insecurity. An agricultural sciences major, Flanagan has taken impactful classes in plant genetics, soil science and many other...
  • Campus Area Farms
  • Cornell Orchards
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station

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.