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.

aerial photo of power to x plant

News

Cornell Atkinson-EDF research aids people and planet

The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and long-time collaborator Environmental Defense Fund announce their 2025 awardees for joint research and seek new proposals for 2026 initiatives.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Graduate students check tomato plants.

News

Students' color-changing tomato reaches national contest finals

An invention developed by two graduate students turns engineered tomato plants red when soil nitrogen levels are low.

  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
A new broccoli variety called “Northstar,”

News

Public-private partnership results in new broccoli hybrid, ‘Northstar’

A new broccoli variety, a co-hybrid between parents developed at Cornell and the global seed company Bejo Zaden, can withstand warmer, more unpredictable conditions such as the ones in the Northeastern U.S.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
Aaron Sexton headshot

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Aaron Sexton
Academic focus: Urban ecology Research summary: I am an urban ecologist attempting to understand the processes and patterns that form urban plant and animal communities. Across systems, plants, insects, fish and birds, my lab uses data collected...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plants
  • Horticulture

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.