im considering Jamovi, which is a UX on R (you get both a UI and a syntax option if needed).
But my uni is not that R friendly, for now. haha my supervisor may face problem if I use Jamovi.
Discussion
That sounds ridiculous if you're working on a phd, I can't imagine an good university doing that. Probably a bad sign for your department, be careful.
gui ux will hold you back. just learn the real thing asap and you'll be better off. same with latex.
the uni wont hold me off but my supervisor are not that good with R