‘Forging transatlantic leaders’
Why study transatlantic affairs?
US Ambassador to the EU Mark Gitenstein at the MATA 5-year anniversary
The 21st 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.
