The Institute of Communication Studies (ICS) is an academic, nonprofit institution and a leading research organization in the field of journalism and media studies, public relations, and corporate communications. It was established in 2012 by the School for Journalism and Public Relations (SJPR). Since 2019, ICS and SJPR have consolidated their resources to make a vanguard education and research hub on communications and media at ICS. Their project for active citizenry has been acknowledged by the European Commission as one of the ten best media literacy projects in Europe in 2019.

ICS offers one-year and two-year master’s degrees in strategic communications, media management, and multimedia. Currently, It provides blended learning on its master’s programs – 70% of courses are implemented online by international professors and professionals from partner universities from Slovenia, Serbia, England, USA, etc.. It is the only higher education institution in Macedonia that runs its own academic blog – Res Publica (www.respublica.edu.mk), which aims to encourage students, professors, civic activists, journalists, policymakers, and members of other communities to participate and debate on matters of public interest. ICS’s staff have also taken part in developing a journalism curriculum for universities across South East Europe under UNESCO’s lead.