Ham was born and raised in [[Queensland]], [[Australia]].<ref name="Rogers">Rogers, Ben (August 8, 2016). [http://journeyonline.com.au/features/ken-ham-queenslander-answers/ Ken Ham: A Queenslander with all the Answers]. ''Journey'' - ''Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref> His career of defending Christianity and the Bible was partly inspired by his father, a school teacher who had the same passion as Ham.<ref name="Rogers"/>
Ham earned a Bachelor's degree in applied science from [[Queensland Institute of Technology]] and a Diploma of Education from the [[University of Queensland]]. In addition to this, he has also received five six honorary degrees—DD in 1997 from Temple Baptist College in Cincinnati, OH, DLitt in 2004 from [[Liberty University]], DLitt in 2010 from Tennessee Temple University, DHL in 2012 from Mid-Continental University in KY, and a DS in 2017 from [[Bryan College]] in TN, and a DD in 2018 from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in TN.<ref>[https://answersingenesis.org/bios/ken-ham/ Ken Ham]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved May 11August 23, 20172018.</ref>
In his last year of his university training to become a public school science teacher, Ham was strongly influenced by ''The Genesis Flood,'' a book co-authored by Dr. [[Henry Morris]], a hydraulic engineer, and Dr. John Whitcomb, a theologian, showing how scientific evidence supported the Great Flood as described in the Bible.<ref>Appeal letter from Ham for Answers in Genesis, Nov. 20, 2015</ref>