Independent Studies

A student may pursue an Independent Study at HMI if there is room in their schedule to dedicate the necessary time and energy. Students must enroll in at least five courses offered by HMI, and a full academic schedule includes six courses. Therefore, to take an Independent Study, a student must enroll in five HMI courses and use the one additional free period. Exceptions are considered for seniors in order to accommodate their course load.

There are three ways in which a student can successfully complete an Independent Study at HMI:

1. Through a teacher at their sending school
2. Through an online course provider
3. Through a private tutor who meets with the student online

Independent Studies are separate from HMI’s academic course offerings and do not appear on HMI’s transcript. Therefore, the sending school, online provider, or private tutor is responsible for providing all course materials (including a syllabus and curriculum) and for awarding a final grade. If there is a grade associated with the study, it must come from the student’s sending school, or the independent study provider. 

It is also important to note that HMI’s schedule places unusual constraints on an Independent Study. Students do not have internet access while on wilderness expeditions. Therefore, courses that require specific weekly meeting times will not work with the HMI schedule.

HMI supports Independent Studies by, where possible, including an Independent Study block in the academic schedule and providing a faculty proctor in that block who holds students accountable to completing their work and helps students set up the logistical requirements of their Independent Study.

For an Independent Study at HMI to be successful, the following conditions must exist:

• The student must like the subject matter. If they are not inspired to cover the material, it is extremely difficult to do so in an independent setting.
• There needs to be a good rapport between the sponsoring sending school teacher and the student.
• The sponsoring sending school teacher must understand the HMI Semester schedule and be willing to work with the fact that the student will be out of touch for two weeks at a time during expeditions.

Some examples of successful Independent Study arrangements have included:

• Following along with a class that has an online platform at the student’s sending school
• Creating a personalized course with a sending school teacher that allows the student to stay on track but work at their own pace
• Enrolling in an online course

Students are welcome to pursue an Independent Study through their choice of external providers. Possible providers include: Fusion Global Academy, Educere, Khan Academy, Middlebury Interactive Languages.

HMI has partnered with Fusion Global Academy (FGA) to help students who need academic credit for an Independent Study they take while at HMI. Please refer to this page on the FGA website for more information on how to coordinate an accredited independent study through Fusion while at HMI.

In all cases, the student and their family should carefully consider whether an Independent Study is the best approach for the particular student and subject matter. Any student interested in pursuing an Independent Study should first consult their sending school to ensure that the content of the course is appropriate and that the necessary credit will be earned.

All students interested in taking an Independent Study while at HMI must contact HMI’s Registrar before the semester begins to discuss their plan in full.