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.

Group photo with NextGen team members

News

Canaan Boyer honored with Cornell CALS inclusion award
Canaan Boyer, project manager for NextGen Cassava, earned the 2022 CALS Core Value Staff Award for her commitment to inclusion for "one of the most successful crop breeding projects in the world."
  • Global Development Section
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
Benjamin Houlton

News

CALS community members recognized for excellence and service
On Sept. 1, members of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) came together to celebrate the 18th year of the Research & Extension Awards and the 13th year of the Core Value Staff Awards. The ceremony recognized the notable and wide...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Botanic Gardens
  • Animal Science

News

Stanton Shannon, researcher of corn, onions and squash, dies at 94

Stanton Shannon, who supported New York farmers through his research on sweet corn, onions and squash, died Jan. 6 in Riverside, California. He was 94.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
composite image of an animated tom silva teaching

News

Our Stories: Working through first-gen challenges
Tom Silva is a senior lecturer in the Plant Biology Section and chair of the SIPS Diversity and Inclusion Council. The Our Stories series profiles diverse members of the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) community. Here is Tom’s story...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology 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.