Professor Ferrier was very passionate about the material, but lectures could be very boring some days. Weekly labs in discussion were easy, and TAs were helpful, but a poor grade on one lab could ruin an otherwise good grade. He was a joy to talk to outside of class, and clearly a very caring person.Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Ken Ferrier
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Professor was passionate about topics discussed in class. Quizzes utilize textbook terms and vocabulary that was mentioned but not just the slides. TA's are great resources for labs, but only for that. Can be hard to balance for a new student.Rate My Professors ↗
Took this class as an engineering elective (cross-listed as GLE350). One homework assignment a week and one group project at the end of the year with plenty of time to work on it. The lectures can be a little heavy, but Ken occasionally integrates some fun experiments to make it more engaging. He is very nice and accessible outside of class.Rate My Professors ↗
Took this for my physical science credit. I liked Professor Ferrier a lot and really enjoyed his lecture, and my TA was amazing/gave helpful hints for lab. The quizzes are a sizable portion of your grade, though, and never seemed to be super related to what was emphasized in lecture/were very strangely worded. The video project was a blast, though!Rate My Professors ↗
Good lecturer and I personally really enjoyed lectures, but weekly quizzes seemed to be only tangentially related and unnecessarily complicated. However, weekly "labs" - discussion sections- were mostly decent. Content was extremely interesting and a good intro to geoscience, and despite the frustrating quizzes, it's not a hard course overall.Rate My Professors ↗
Good class to take to fulfill physical sci credit. Ken is super lovely and really cares about his work. Weekly quizzes are tough and don't always align with lecture material, labs aren't too bad and aren't graded super harshly. Optional exam at end of sem which is nice. Lectures can feel long but content is super interesting, his voice is golden.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Ken Ferrier
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY applies geology to problems from intense use of the earth and its resources.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Ken Ferrier makes geoscience material interesting and digestible, though some find lectures unnecessary or boring; he listens to feedback and cares about student learning.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Senior Honors Thesis
3 creditsGEOSCI 681 is a senior mentored study course for students completing theses for Honors in the Major.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Senior Thesis
3–4 creditsGEOSCI 691 is a mentored individual research course for students completing a senior thesis.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Directed Study
1–6 creditsGEOSCI 699 is a directed study course allowing students to conduct independent research or study arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleQuantitative Geomorphology studies Earth's surface processes through theory and field observations of hillslopes, rivers, and glaciers.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.25 GPA, 33.3% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2022 · limited sampleResearch
1–12 creditsGEOSCI 990 is a research course where students conduct supervised independent study projects.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | ENVIRST/GEOSCI 106 | Environmental Geology |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 691 | Senior Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 699 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 701 | Quantitative Geomorphology |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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