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.