Plant Sciences (BS)

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

The program in Plant Sciences helps students understand how plants work from the molecular to ecosystem level so graduates can make new discoveries in the lab and field, produce enough food for a growing world population; breed plants to tolerate the heat- and drought-stress of climate change; develop sustainable cropping practices to produce healthful and nutritious food; investigate new methods to fight disease; and transform sterile urban environments into vibrant microcosms of nature.

Plant Sciences courses are taught by faculty in the School of Integrative Plant Science, which is the administrative home for the Sections of Horticulture, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, and Soil and Crop Sciences. Together, they represent one of the strongest groups of plant scientists in the world. Students in the program share a common interest in learning about topics associated with plant growth and development in the broadest sense, but beyond that common thread, individual career goals vary widely. Some have their sights set on careers in applied agriculture or teaching, others plan to contribute to advancements of our knowledge through research, and still others see study in plant science as a stepping-stone to specialized training in business, government, law or medicine.

Almost 150 courses that deal directly with some area of plant science are offered in the School of Integrative Plant Science. There are also opportunities to engage in internships, undergraduate teaching, and research experiences. Students expecting to go on for a graduate degree are encouraged to participate in one or more of those experiences. Students who are planning to enter the workforce immediately upon completion of the B.S. degree are encouraged to obtain practical experience. This may involve summer employment in field research or in a plant production or maintenance-related industry such as a lawn and tree care company, commercial greenhouse, nursery, orchard, vineyard or winery, botanical garden or arboretum, crop production farm, or with Cooperative Extension.

In addition to classrooms and laboratories in five buildings on the Cornell campus proper, research and teaching facilities adjacent to the campus are available to students for hands-on practice, technical training, independent research projects, and internships. These facilities include research orchards and vineyards, golf courses and a turf research facility, the Cornell Botanic Gardens (including an arboretum and thousands of acres of natural areas), and vegetable and field crop farms. Demonstration/research facilities in Aurora (Cayuga County), Geneva (Ontario County), Highland (Ulster County), Lake Placid (Essex County), Middletown (Orange County), Odessa (Tioga County), and Riverhead (Suffolk County) are also available for undergraduate and graduate field study.

For more information about this major, see program webpage.

Academic Standards

  • All courses in the Plant Sciences major are offered at the Ithaca campus unless otherwise noted. Online certificate or distance-learning courses, including those offered through Cornell, may not be counted towards major requirements.
  • Students are expected to attend all required class activities in person.
  • There is no minimum passing grade for courses required in the Plant Sciences major, but all courses used towards the major must be taken for a letter grade if the course is not S/U only.
  • Courses may not be used to fulfill more than one major requirement. 

Plant Sciences Policies

Students are expected to satisfy all degree requirements and comply with the following program policies. Any deviation must be petitioned prior to the act. Failure to comply with any program policies or petition decisions may result in review by the College Committee on Academic Achievement and Petitions.

Academic Standards

Students are expected to make continuous progress towards completing major requirements in the plant sciences. Students who do not enroll in classes required for the plant sciences major or fail to make adequate progress towards the plant science degree are not considered to be in good standing within the major. Students may simultaneously be in good standing with the college but not in good standing with the major. 

To be in a good academic standing, a student must:

  • Successfully complete PLSCI 1101 – Plant Science and Systems in their first fall and PLSCI 1420 – Functional Plant Biology in their first spring.

  • Successfully complete PLSCI 2410 – Introductory Plant Diversity and Evolution in their second fall and PLSCI 2430 – Ecology and Evolution of Plants in their second spring.

  • Successfully complete a foundational course each semester of their third year.

Advanced Placement Credit

The general college advanced placement credit policies apply, in addition to the Plant Sciences specific policy below:

  • AP, IB, and GCE credit in Biology is not accepted to fulfill the introductory biology requirement. 

  • AP, IB, and GCE credit in Chemistry is not accepted to fulfill the general chemistry requirement.

  • An AP Statistics score of 5 may be used to fulfill the statistics requirement.

​Study Abroad

Plant Sciences majors are encouraged to go abroad at some point during their time as a student. Study abroad is an option to consider since the curriculum is designed to be very flexible. It is not necessary to take courses abroad for Plant Sciences major requirements. While abroad, it is more desirable to take courses that reflect the region you are in since plants are everywhere. 

If you do want to bring back one or two courses for major requirements, the Plant Sciences Curriculum Committee (PSCC) will consider those on a case-by-case basis. A current and complete syllabus must be submitted with the petition for each such course; and if you take the course before approval is given, you should not assume that the course will satisfy major requirements. 

 

Double Major

Cornell students are not allowed to double major across colleges. Students are not allowed to continue their studies past their eighth (or equivalent) semester to complete additional majors or minors. Students who pursue a second major must choose a major within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Plant Sciences students can double count a maximum of 12 credits between their two CALS majors. The introductory disciplinary courses (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and statistics) are allowed to be shared between programs and do not count towards the 12-credit maximum.

CALS students who fit one or more of the following conditions are ineligible to double major in Plant Sciences:

  • Current juniors or seniors

  • Agricultural Sciences majors

If you do not qualify for the Plant Sciences double major, consider adding a SIPS minor, particularly the Plant Sciences minor.

 

Minors

Plant Sciences majors are not eligible to complete a minor offered through SIPS. These minors include Plant Sciences, Crop Management, Fungal Biology, Horticulture, Plant Breeding, and Soil Science.