Given the programme’s various study tracks, the faculty teaching in the Master of Arts in Transatlantic Affairs comes from the entire faculty of the College and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. All courses are supported by academic assistants.

MATA-specific academic staff members include:

• Michele CHANG, Director
• Chris MILLER, Academic Director (Fletcher)
• Coralie BALLIEU, Academic Assistant
• Belinda DERYCKERE, Secretary
• Ian LESSER, MATA Chair in Transatlantic Trade and Economy
• Pablo VILLATORO HARILLO, Research Assistant to the Mata Chair in Transatlantic Trade and Economy
• Bruno LETE, Visiting professor
• Benedetta BERTI, Visiting professor
• John SHATTUCK, Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, The Fletcher School

‘Forging transatlantic leaders’

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman with College of Europe students 

Together, the US and Europe form vital economic and security partnerships that form the backbone of international cooperation. No durable solution to the issues facing the international system can be found without the transatlantic alliance. 

The Master of Arts in Transatlantic Affairs (MATA) combines the resources of the College of Europe (Bruges and Natolin) and The Fletcher School for students looking to acquire academic and professional skills needed to launch their international career.  

MATA students can specialize in the political, legal, and economic aspects of transatlantic relations that include: 

• Climate change 

• Security relations, including NATO 

• Energy security 

• Trade 

• Economic and financial regulation  

Both institutions are renowned for their academic excellence developed by teaching staff composed of both leading academics and practitioners, professional training to prepare students for a variety of career trajectories, and their extensive international alumni networks.  

“The degree in Transatlantic Affairs turned out to be so versatile. It equipped us with knowledge about geopolitics, dual-use technological advancements, history, human rights, energy, and even macroeconomics.”
-Christian Vlad Iudt, MATA class of 2022
 

Why I chose MATA 

Students of the MATA programme write a Master's Thesis (25 ECTS) on a topic related to transatlantic affairs. The thesis is co-supervised by a member of the College of Europe and a member of the Fletcher School faculty. 

The best Master’s Thesis submitted by a MATA student receives the ‘Jan Olaf Hausotter Memorial Prize for the Best Thesis in Transatlantic Affairs’. Jan Olaf HAUSOTTER was an alumnus of the College of Europe (Bertha von Suttner promotion, 2002-2003) and a graduate of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He was working as a Political Affairs Officer for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti when he was killed during the 2010 earthquake. The prize is sponsored by his former classmates of the Bertha von Suttner promotion and awarded on the occasion of the Closing Ceremony of the College of Europe in Bruges.

The best thesis prize from the 2021-2023 promotion was awarded to Cecilia Perez Weigel for her thesis, 'Packing for the Geopolitical Trip: Understanding US & EU Approaches Towards China in Investment and Export Controls on Semiconductors'.

Students of the MATA programme write a Master's Thesis (25 ECTS) on a topic related to transatlantic affairs. The thesis is co-supervised by a member of the College of Europe and a member of the Fletcher School faculty. 

The best Master’s Thesis submitted by a MATA student receives the ‘Jan Olaf Hausotter Memorial Prize for the Best Thesis in Transatlantic Affairs’. Jan Olaf HAUSOTTER was an alumnus of the College of Europe (Bertha von Suttner promotion, 2002-2003) and a graduate of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He was working as a Political Affairs Officer for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti when he was killed during the 2010 earthquake. The prize is sponsored by his former classmates of the Bertha von Suttner promotion and awarded on the occasion of the Closing Ceremony of the College of Europe in Bruges.

The best thesis prize from the 2021-2023 promotion was awarded to Cecilia Perez Weigel for her thesis, 'Packing for the Geopolitical Trip: Understanding US & EU Approaches Towards China in Investment and Export Controls on Semiconductors'.

The second year of the MATA programme includes a high-level internship. For students starting at the College of Europe, the internship can be done in semester 3 or 4, and is expected to be completed in the United States or North America; for those who spent their first year at The Fletcher School, the internship must be done in semester 3.  Internship options include working in an international or national institution, the private sector or civil society.

Past internship placements include: 

• United Nations Secretariat (New York),
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Brussels),
• the European Parliament (Brussels),
• the European Parliament Liaison Office (Washington, DC), 
• the US Mission to the EU (Brussels)
• and major think tanks in Washington, DC, such as the Atlantic Council and the Brookings Institution.

‘I would not have been able to enter the climate field without the a bility to specialise so effectively at Fletcher, and I would not have gotten a job in a transatlantic organisation that works closely with the EU without the credibility of the College of Europe.’
-Sam Bowers, MATA Class of 2022, former intern at Clean Air Task Force (2022)

Additionally, thanks to a partnership with the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation, a limited number of MATA students can benefit from a Squire Patton Boggs Public Policy Fellowship and related grant to complete internships in the non-profit sector.