Tara Duffy is a Marine Sciences professor at Northeastern University rated 4.01/5 by 642 students, with 3.36/5 difficulty and 82.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Tara Duffy professor reviews and ratings: 4.01/5 from 642 student reviews at Northeastern (82.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Kind professor and grades easy (for the lecture portion). The lab will probably be more homework than the lecture and is the only hard part of this course. If you go to her office hours she will give you a good gradeEEMB2700 2025-05-03 04:47:50 +0000 UTC
Such an amazing class I learned so much! Tara doesn't have a good grading criteria that she follows, but the assignments are very interesting and you will learn a lot. Would take this class again and again again if I could.ENVR3150 2023-12-19 19:05:47 +0000 UTC
Overall, this class is not one where you just show up and pass. There are various tests, quizzes, case studies, and an additional project. However, she is generous with extra credit and having all these assignments makes it really easy to balance out your grade and get an easy A- to A. She tries to make lectures bearable and tells you no textbook.EEMB1450 2018-12-01 16:36:00 +0000 UTC
She is wonderful! This class was fairly easy where really all she wanted to see is people trying and putting in the effort. I love how passionate she is about the material and everything she assigned seemed relevant and not like busywork.ENVR1120 2017-09-09 09:46:51 +0000 UTC
Professor Duffy is a great! She covers everything you need to know in class, provides you with study guides and practice problems, and has several opportunities for you to get a good grade. Exams can be hard but they're not too bad if you look over the study guide. Her slides have blanks so you have to pay attention, but she's a great teacher.EEMB2400 2017-03-26 14:04:48 +0000 UTC
Dr. Duffy doesn't just provide boring textbook slides but instead creates her own presentations containing information from actual research she has conducted relevant to the class. She inspired most of the class to regularly participate in group discussions that were some of the best parts of class. Her tests are hard but her extra credit isn't.ENVR4504 2015-07-15 14:58:13 +0000 UTC
I loved this course and Professor Duffy; clearly cares greatly for her students, and is passionate about the subject material. Also went on a field trip to Nahant which was great! Exams were all online, open notes, and very fair assessments of material.EEMB2700 2023-11-28 20:44:09 +0000 UTC
Knowledgeable about her stuff but not an amenable teacher at all. Comments left on assignments were rarely helpful to improve, assignment descriptions were unclear, and rubrics were not adhered to when she was grading. Micro-manager type teacher who gives busy work and constantly assigns work that isn't necessary. Good intentions but bad execution.ENVR3150 2021-12-13 04:22:14 +0000 UTC
Dr. Duffy is super nice and very passionate, but you will be bored in Oceans & Coasts if you don't care about geology. Tests are fine as long as you use the study guides she provides (there are multiple exams throughout the semester), textbook is optional, and she only takes attendance a couple of times.ENVR1120 2017-03-20 20:33:48 +0000 UTC
Taking a class with her is awesome because she genuinely is interested in what she is teaching!! Sometimes studying for tests is frustrating because her powerpoints have blanks that need to be filled in by your notes in class. Her tests are pretty hard because there's a lot of short answer questions and some of the questions focus on the specifics.EEMB2400 2016-05-04 23:52:21 +0000 UTC
Prof Duffy is amazing. You know she cares about what she teaches and makes an effort to show how you can use what she teaches practically. Tests would probably be a lot more difficult if they weren't open note, but I think they would still be doable.EEMB2700 2020-12-14 02:46:16 +0000 UTC
Super nice professor, really good at just teaching well. A fair amount of research papers (4), and 3 group assignments. Readings for most class, but still an Easy B. She really cares and is super easy to change deadlines with 1 on 1. Her kid also got sick a lot and classes got cancelled which was fun. Overall learned a ton and enjoyed it.ENVR3150 2019-12-04 18:55:12 +0000 UTC
Dr. Duffy is a really nice and willing to help if you ask. You really don't have to go to class just make sure that you know when the next 'pop quiz' is (she tells you the week before). She covers a LOT of material in one class and moves really fast. Her exams are so hard, and very specific. Don't take this class if you want an easy science credit.ENVR1120 2014-11-20 10:47:53 +0000 UTC
She is incredibly kind and smart. Her lectures can be dense, so be prepared to study outside of class for tests. Her exams can also delve into specifics, but overall a very fair grader and gives lots of extra credit opportunities and small assignments to boost your grade. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she has made the transition online very smooth.EEMB2700 2020-03-25 18:57:46 +0000 UTC
Tara Duffy has an average rating of 4.01/5 from 642 student reviews. 82.0% of students said they would take them again.
Tara Duffy's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.36/5 based on student reviews.
Tara Duffy has taught EEMB5510, EEMB2700, ENVR3150, ENVR6150, ENVR4000, ENVR1120, EEMB2400, EEMB2701, EEMB5534, EEMB1450, EEMB5535, EEMB2616, EEMB2617, ENVR4504 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.