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Case Study

Bethany Coyles

Sunderland, UK

BA (Hons) Fine Art


Bethany Coyles always knew she wanted to be a teacher, and so university was always in her sights. When visiting universities, Sunderland gave her the best impression and her decision to enrol was finalised after she attended a summer school. After graduation she was offered a place on a Teacher Training SCITT course, to train to become a Design Technology teacher.

I was studying fine art and photography at college and wanted to carry on my education. I have always wanted to be a teacher in my subject choice and I knew that going to university would help with this career aspiration.

I wanted to study close to home and the University of Sunderland gave me the best impression. My interview went well, the facilities offered were of a high standard and it felt more relaxed than other universities I had visited. I was offered a chance to be part of that year’s summer school which was great; everyone was so friendly and it pushed me into making my decision final. I got to meet other people who would be studying my course and made friends for life.

The best aspect of the course is the studio spaces – they are amazing! There is plenty of room to experiment with a range of materials and scale and the use of the Shaun Project Space to put on mini exhibitions and experiment with work positioning was great. Another good aspect is the staff, they are all really helpful and open up a wide range of opportunities to help push art careers forward. I also received additional support from the Disability Support team, who diagnosed me with dyslexia.

After graduation I was offered a place on a Teacher Training SCITT course, to train to become a Design Technology Teacher.

My time at Sunderland was a rollercoaster. I had my ups and downs throughout, but overall I had a great experience.”

Published 12 June 2020

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