Bachelor of Science Global Environmental Science majors at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (a large, public research-intensive university) are required to complete a faculty-mentored, independent research experience, write a thesis, and orally present their research in a public symposium. To help students achieve these requirements, the Global Environmental Science Transformative Undergraduate Research Experience (GESTURE) presents an academic program’s curriculum pathway that features (1) research onboarding and skill-building oriented courses, (2) individualized research opportunities, and (3) an emphasis on developing communication skills. We used student oral presentation and thesis evaluation results (n = 49) collected from fall 2014 to spring 2018 and a focus group interview (n = 6) to investigate students’ learning achievement and their perceived program efficacy. The results revealed that the students in our study (1) demonstrated high levels of learning achievement related to research practice and research communication skills supported by multiple sources of evidence, and (2) considered the curriculum support structure to be imperative to their successful completion of a rigorous undergraduate research experience. We conclude with five program features that other undergraduate research programs can adapt to fit their needs: (1) research onboarding course with guidance to explore research and interact with faculty; (2) frequent and structured opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback on oral presentation and thesis writing; (3) a credit-bearing independent research course; (4) culminating experience through public presentation and theses review processes; and (5) holistic, wrap-around personal and academic support for students. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2021.1977029