Program Overview

Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Integrative Plant Science

The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Integrative Plant Science is a one-year, in-person, STEM-designated, course-based master’s degree, offered as a self-funded program for career-focused students. Students engage with leading experts in plant and agricultural sciences while exploring one of twelve concentrations, which examine both fundamental and applied aspects of plants, soils, microbes, and their interactions within natural, managed, and business ecosystems.

Concentrations

• Plant Biotechnology: features coursework and hands-on laboratory work focused on scientific techniques to develop and improve plants for the benefit of society.
• Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA): an advanced and intensive form of agriculture where plants are grown in a controlled environment with optimized horticultural practices.
• Geospatial Applications: the use of modern tools to geographically map and analyze the Earth and human societies.
• Public Garden Leadership: the management of public gardens, requiring a mix of academic training and practical experience.
• Crop Science: the study of crop systems for growing food, feed, and fiber crops.
• Plant Protection: encompasses strategies and tactics for managing insect pests, weeds, and plant pathogens.
• Soil Science: brings together the basic disciplines of biology, physics, and chemistry to discover fundamental principles and put them in the service of management solutions.
• Viticulture: emphasizes knowledge development and hands-on experience in the science, production, and study of grapes.
• Agronomy: the interdisciplinary science and applied practice of sustainable field crop production.
• Climate Change and Agriculture: harnesses diverse scientific disciplines to help solve one of the greatest challenges of our times.
• Plant Breeding: involves making better plants using applied breeding tools such as genetic mapping, quantitative genetics, molecular genomics, tissue culture, and other analytical systems.
• Plant Systems: allows students to tailor a Cornell experience that works for them, focusing on anything from management of horticultural crops to human-plant interactions to environmental management.

Program Basics

The Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program is an accredited, course-based, one-year master’s degree program that emphasizes professional development and intellectual investigation in the areas of agriculture, life sciences, and global development. The Integrative Plant Science MPS program is a STEM-designated degree program.

MPS Capstone Project

This project may be an action program, the development of a plan to address a pertinent problem, the development of materials or methodology suited to the student's situation, or the development and execution of research appropriate to the profession. A formal project report must be submitted to and approved by the candidate's faculty advisor.

Field of Integrative Plant Science MPS Degree Requirements

• Students earning the MPS in Integrative Plant Science complete 30 credits of graduate-level courses (5000+), with at least 20 of these credits earned through the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, and at least 18 of these credits taken for letter grade.
• Specific course requirements of the Integrative Plant Science MPS Degree are as follows:
  • Core Courses (13 credits required):
    • Professional Development (5 – 9 credits)
    • Quantitative Literacy (2 – 6 credits)
    • Capstone Project (2 – 6 credits)
  • Concentration Courses (12 credits required):
    • Courses specific to your concentration
  • Elective Courses (5 credits required):
    • Graduate-level course chosen in consultation with your advisor.

Careers in Integrative Plant Science

Graduates pursue a variety of careers, including:

• Specialty crop grower
• Organic farmer
• Garden educator
• Pest management specialist
• And many more based on the chosen concentration.

Faculty and Alumni Spotlights

The program features a diverse range of faculty and alumni, each with their unique expertise and stories, including:

• Mark Bridgen, plant breeder
• Neil Mattson, CEA expert
• Justine Vanden Heuvel, viticulture expert
• Ying Sun, geospatial applications expert
• Larry Smart, hemp breeder
• Antonio DiTommaso, weed scientist

Meet Recent Alumni

Recent alumni have gone on to pursue various careers and projects, including:

• Erin Marteal, Public Garden Leadership
• Melissa Martens, Plant Protection
• Margaux Hein, Agronomy
• Stephen Stresow, Plant Systems
• Homa Hajarian, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
• Bailee Hopkins, Public Garden Leadership
• Ryan Ronzoni, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
• Charles Gagne, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
• Taylor Mattus, Viticulture
• Carson Letot, Horticulture
• John Wellhofer, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
• Barbara Conolly, Public Garden Leadership
• Stephanie Freeman, Horticulture

Program Details

For more information on the program, including application fee waivers, how to apply, and other CALS MPS fields of study, please refer to the provided resources.