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.

Varsha Pathare headshot

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Varsha Pathare
Academic focus: Crop ecophysiology under environmental change Research summary: My research focuses on developing fundamental, mechanistic understanding of how CO2 and water move through the complex internal spaces inside leaves during...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
Camilo H. Parada-Rojas

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Camilo H. Parada-Rojas
Academic focus: Field crops pathology Research summary: We study diseases of major field crops in New York state with one goal: better decisions for growers. We ask how pathogen populations change under selection from host resistance, fungicides...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
Collins Bugingo Headshot

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Collins Bugingo
Academic focus: Seed pathology, integrated pest management and seed microbiomes Research summary: My research bridges science and practice in crop production, with a focus on seed germination, disease diagnostics and management, seed microbiome...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plants
Headshot of Lindsey Becker

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Lindsey Becker
Academic focus: Plant microbiomes Research summary: Plants coexist with dynamic and complex microbial communities. I study how host genetics and environmental stressors collectively influence microbiome composition and function. By studying crop...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
  • Agriculture

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.