This course is designed for new DPES PhD students to develop core Graduate level competencies for the successful navigation of their doctoral work. These competencies include oral and written communication, project management, an understanding of ethics in research, scholarship and teaching, professional development, and research methods. Students will learn from core Graduate faculty and gain exposure to the breadth of research and career paths in environmental science. In the winter semester of this fall/winter course, students will be expected to contribute a draft PhD proposal document for their own topic of interest and present a mock PhD proposal to the class. The class will meet bi-weekly throughout the fall and winter. The course is restricted to those students enrolled in the PhD in Environmental Science program.