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.

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Spotlight

How do we nourish people and the planet?
As the world population grows and climate change threatens agriculture and global food systems, researchers across CALS are reimagining agri-food systems for the 21st century.
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Animal Science
  • Food Science
Purple spring flowers frame McGraw Tower

News

Eight students receive SUNY Chancellor’s Awards

A diverse group of students and recent graduates representing Cornell’s four contract colleges has been selected to receive the 2023 State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plants
A farmer works in a cassava field

Spotlight

Confronting the Climate Crisis with Cassava
In Africa, the climate crisis is impacting all aspects of life — but especially agriculture. A surge of extreme weather events, abrupt shifts in precipitation patterns and steadily rising temperatures have diminished crop production and...
  • Global Development Section
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
A man inspects cassava while holding an iPad outside

Spotlight

NextGen Fellows
With support from NextGen Cassava, dozens of young people have turned their passions into career pathways that will build capacity in Africa’s agriculture breeding programs. NextGen Fellows have obtained advanced degrees from Cornell University...
  • Global Development Section
  • 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.