MAST International was founded in 1949 by Dr. J. O. Christianson, who was the superintendent of the University of Minnesota’s School of Agriculture. He dedicated his life to inspiring young agriculturalists and sought a more meaningful world through agriculture and international exchange. When the U.S. Exchange Visitor Program was created under the Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, MAST was the fourth exchange visitor program designated by the U.S. Department of State.
"I envision a time when young agriculturists from all over the world can productively interact with each other to share ideas and common values; working together for better agriculture, greater world understanding and cooperation.”
- Dr. J. O. Christianson in his speech founding MAST
The founding and early history of MAST is highlighted in the History of the School of Agriculture 1851-1960 by Ralph E. Miller (1979) University of Minnesota (excerpts linked here from Chapter 15).
In 1949, the first MAST student arrived to the U.S. from Sweden, having mailed his application across the ocean then traveling by boat to start his exchange program. In 2024, the 10,000th participant emailed their application and Zoomed with MAST staff before arriving by plane. While the methods participants have used to find or travel to their training site have changed, the goals of the program remain the same.
