Students in the MATA programme will spend one year on each side of the Atlantic. The first year will be dedicated to coursework. The second year comprises one semester of coursework at the partner institutions and a high-level internship.  Eligible internships include working in an international or national institution, or within the private sector with civil society actors.  During the spring semester, MATA students travel to Brussels for a study trip to meet key transatlantic stakeholders.
The programme culminates in the completion of a Master's thesis on transatlantic affairs in which students benefit from thesis supervision from both the College of Europe and the Fletcher School..

Within this overarching framework common to all MATA students, the precise study programme varies in line with the study track chosen. All students will follow the year-long joint course on US-EU Relations in the 21st Century: Multidisciplinary Analysis of Transatlantic Affairs (first semester) and US-EU Relations in the 21st Century: Transatlantic Project (second semester). The following five study tracks are offered within the MATA programme:

• Economic Studies (Bruges);
• International Relations and Diplomacy (Bruges)
• Interdisciplinary studies (Natolin);
• Legal Studies (Bruges);
• Political and Governance Studies (Bruges)

Each study track leads to a Master of Arts in Transatlantic Affairs (120 ECTS).

At The Fletcher School, students will gain breadth of knowledge through coursework across the School’s three divisions:

• International Law and Organizations;
• Diplomacy, History and Politics; and
• Economics and International Business.

Both institutions integrate students into a close-knit, multinational and intercultural learning environment.

The programme has been accredited in the US and in Europe.

‘Forging transatlantic leaders’

Why study transatlantic affairs?

US Ambassador to the EU Mark Gitenstein at the MATA 5-year anniversary

The 21^st century brings with it numerous complex problems that the United States and the European Union can best address together. Challenges related to climate change trade,  financial stability, the global and regional security architecture (including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and other urgent matters such as the fight against extremism and the defense of democracy must be tackled by a new generation of experts who can assume influential roles in transatlantic affairs.

To prepare graduates for positions of leadership in transatlantic affairs, the College of Europe - the world's first university institute of postgraduate studies and training in European affairs - partners with The Fletcher School – the first graduate-only school of international affairs in the United States – to offer a unique joint degree: the Master of Arts in Transatlantic Affairs (MATA).

Students in the MATA programme spend one year on each side of the Atlantic. Both institutions integrate students into a close-knit, multinational, and intercultural learning environment. The first year is dedicated to coursework, including a joint course on transatlantic affairs in which students in Europe and the United States learn from a variety of experts about the most pressing issues in transatlantic affairs and work on specific projects.  The second year includes a high-level internship with a transatlantic focus, a master's thesis and further coursework at the partner institution.

Burst the Bubble (BtB) est un podcast sur les affaires européennes, lancé par les étudiants du Collège d'Europe en 2018. Il est géré par une équipe de rédaction jeune et diverse, spécialisée en politique, économie, droit et relations internationales.