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.

Jonathan Russell-Anelli with students in the field

News

“Soils matter for everyone”: students learn soil science in the field
Emily McFadden ’25 has always wanted a career in agriculture and the environment. When she toured Cornell as a high school student, she sat in on a soil science course (PLSCS 2600) taught by Jonathan Russell-Anelli, senior lecturer and senior...
  • Campus Area Farms
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Dilmun Hill Student Farm
Microarthropod mites from three different taxonomic families. Photo by Hayden Bock.

News

Tiny soil critters play by their own rules in urban parks

The assortment of species of tiny soil animals – small enough to stand on the head of a pin – differ from one urban park to another, unlike plants and larger animals where a few species are often found across many parks.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Department of Entomology
Artificial satellite in space.

News

Trace gas measurements could advance carbon cycle predictions

A novel method for estimating the rate of photosynthesis from land plants reveals that satellite observations underestimate this important metric.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
  • Climate Change
Riesling grapes in mid-harvest along Keuka Lake in what looks to be an excellent year for New York state wineries.

News

Climate change brings challenges, and opportunities, to Finger Lakes wineries

In a wetter, hotter, more turbulent weather world, New York state wineries will endure new hardship, but they may be better off than most.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Department of Entomology
  • 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.