What IHECS does

IHECS (Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales) is a Belgian higher education institution (Haute École) founded in 1958 and headquartered in Brussels at 58-60 rue de l'Etuve, with a planned relocation to the Reyers campus for the 2026-2027 academic year. It operates as a category member of the non-profit A.S.B.L. Haute École Galilée and is publicly funded by the Communauté française of Belgium under the decree of 9 September 1996. The institution specializes in communication and media education, offering a bachelor in Applied Communication, six specialized master's programs (Press & Information, Public Relations, Advertising, Cultural & Social Communication/ASCEP, Media Education, Event Management), part-time Master 60 evening-schedule variants, two executive master's (European Public Affairs and Digital Communication), and continuing education through IHECS Academy.

The business model combines public subsidies from the Communauté française, student registration fees (with Erasmus+ exchange students exempt at the host institution), and revenue from IHECS Academy continuing education programs such as Marketing Territorial. The pedagogical model rests on three pillars: practical training via studios, editing suites, and student media (Mammouth); international mobility through the Erasmus+ Charter 2021-2027 covering approximately 30 countries; and professional integration through media juries, the mémoire médiatique with industry sponsors, and the IHECS Alumni network.

The institution extends its reach through a constellation of sub-brands: IHECS Academy (continuing education), IHECS Alumni (graduate network), IHECSOLIDAIRE (refugee and asylum-seeker inclusion program), Mammouth (student media outlet), and Protagoras (territorial communication research platform). Leadership is provided by Director Frédéric Moens, re-elected in May 2026 for a second five-year mandate through 2031. International partnerships span flagship collaborators including ISIC Rabat (Morocco), UCLL Hogeschool (Belgium), Université Panteion (Athens), and ISAC/CESTI at UCAD Dakar, alongside dozens of Erasmus+ bilateral agreements.

Name

IHECS

Legal name

IHECS (Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales)

Website

https://ihecs.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IHECS is a Brussels-based higher education institution (Haute École) founded in 1958, offering bachelor's, master's, and executive programs in journalism, communication, public relations, advertising, and event management to French-speaking students from Belgium and international exchange partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (Communauté française): IHECS is a public higher education institution (Haute École) under the A.S.B.L. Haute École Galilée, funded by the French-speaking Community of Belgium (Communauté française). Funding is governed by the decree of 9 September 1996 relating to the financing of Hautes Écoles.
2. Student Registration Fees: Students pay registration (tuition) fees to enroll in IHECS programs. Erasmus+ students are exempt from fees at the host institution. Fees vary by student status and program type (bachelor, master, executive master, continuing education).
3. Continuing Education (IHECS Academy): IHECS Academy offers professional development and short courses (e.g., Marketing Territorial), generating revenue from individual and organizational participants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IHECS is a Brussels-based higher education institution that offers bachelor, master, executive master, and Master 60 evening programs in applied communication, journalism, public relations, advertising, cultural and social communication, media education, and event management. It complements these degree programs with continuing education through IHECS Academy, international mobility under Erasmus+, and student media production through Mammouth.

Product overview

IHECS (Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales) is a Belgian higher education institution (Haute École Galilée) offering a comprehensive portfolio of communication and media programs. The core offering consists of undergraduate (Bachelor) and graduate (Master's) degree programs in applied communication, journalism, public relations, advertising, cultural communication, media education, and event management. The institution also provides part-time Master 60 programs in evening schedule and Executive Master's programs for professionals. IHECS Academy delivers continuing education and professional training. Student media activities are channeled through Mammouth Média, a platform for documentary and journalistic productions. Research activities are supported through Protagoras, a publication platform for territorial communication research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IHECS Academy: Continuing education and professional training programs
• IHECS Alumni
• IHECSOLIDAIRE
• Protagoras

Products and services

• Bachelor in Applied Communication (Bachelier en Communication Appliquée)

Quantifiable outcome

• 184 students completed the first phase of their media thesis (mémoire médiatique) with 20 professional sponsors
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Haute École GaliléecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHECS is a category member (catégorie membre) of the A.S.B.L. Haute École Galilée, which serves as its parent institution. Haute École Galilée provides the institutional framework, Erasmus+ Charter (2021-2027), and administrative oversight. IHECS is one of several schools within the Galilée network.
• European Commission / Erasmus+ ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHECS participates in the Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027) through its parent institution Haute École Galilée, which holds the Erasmus+ Charter. The programme supports student, teacher, and staff mobility across approximately 30 countries. Funding is administered by the Agence nationale belge francophone (AEF). All IHECS Erasmus projects are co-funded by the European Union.
• Agence nationale belge francophone (AEF)coreOthersThe Belgian Francophone National Agency (AEF) centralizes funding for Erasmus+, Belgica, and FAME mobility programmes. IHECS manages its mobilities according to rules set by the European Commission and the AEF.
• ISIC (Institut Supérieur de l'Information et de la Communication), RabatflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year journalism collaboration between IHECS (Brussels) and ISIC (Rabat, Morocco). Students work in mixed teams on investigative reportages covering social issues in both countries. Includes reciprocal immersion: Belgian students travel to Morocco and Moroccan students travel to Belgium, producing cross-cultural multimedia reports.
• UCLL HogeschoolflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing language immersion partnership (Taaltrek project) between IHECS and UCLL Hogeschool in Belgium. Third-year advertising students from IHECS exchange with Dutch-speaking counterparts at UCLL for a four-month language exchange programme, culminating in a joint event at LOFT 58.
• Université Panteion des sciences sociales et politiques (Athens)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtagoras, IHECS's territorial communication research platform, co-organized an international seminar (Topos & Demos) with Université Panteion in Athens and on the island of Tinos (May 2026). The event brought together researchers, public institutions, and field actors around issues of territorial communication.
• ISAC / CESTI (UCAD), DakarflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHECS (via MaCCS programme) collaborates with ISAC and CESTI (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal as part of the Amorce project. The collaboration focuses on cultural mediation and audio storytelling, with IHECS staff conducting missions to Dakar.
• ARES (Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHECS participates in ARES mobility programmes that enable student and staff exchanges with international partner institutions, such as the collaboration between a Belgian journalism student and a Senegalese journalist at RTC in Pikine.
• IHECS AlumnicoreOthersIHECS maintains an alumni association (IHECS Alumni, at alumni-ihecs.be) that provides career services, job listings (via JobTeaser), and networking opportunities for graduates. The Alumni portal is prominently featured on the IHECS website.
• IHECS AcademycoreOthersIHECS Academy (ihecs-academy.be) is the continuing education arm of IHECS, offering professional development courses and specialized training (e.g., Marketing Territorial, September 2026). It operates as a distinct entity but is linked through the IHECS brand.
• Inclusion ASBLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHECS collaborated with Inclusion ASBL for the Creadoc workshop (second-year Master), where students produced podcast narratives about inclusive education for children with intellectual disabilities. Professionals from Inclusion ASBL provided thematic framework and evaluated student productions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EFAP: EFAP is a French network of schools specialized in communication, marketing, and public relations with programs across multiple cities. It is comparable to IHECS in focus area and in serving both initial-degree and continuing-education learners.
• CELSA Sorbonne Université: CELSA is the communication and media school of Sorbonne Université in Paris, offering bachelor through master programs in journalism, communication, advertising, and public relations. It is the closest French-speaking direct peer to IHECS in terms of program mix and target audience.
• ISIC (Institut Supérieur de l'Information et de la Communication): ISIC in Rabat is a Moroccan higher education institution specializing in journalism and communication. It is an active flagship partner of IHECS via multi-year student exchanges and investigative journalism collaborations, making it a directly comparable francophone communication school.
• Université Saint-Louis - Bruxelles: Université Saint-Louis is a Brussels-based French-speaking university that competes with IHECS for the same francophone Belgian student pool, particularly in communication, political science, and social sciences. It is a domestic academic peer in the same catchment area.
• ISCOM Paris: ISCOM is a Paris-based private school offering bachelor and master programs in communication, advertising, and digital strategy. It mirrors IHECS's practitioner-oriented pedagogy and target segments, making it a relevant private-school peer.

Regional players

• Haute École Albert Jacquard (HEAJ): HEAJ is another Belgian Haute École in the same network as IHECS that offers communication and journalism programs. It is a regional peer within the same public Hautes Écoles system and competes for the same regulatory and funding environment, though primarily serving Namur rather than Brussels.

Broad incumbents

• Université Paris Nanterre: Paris Nanterre's UFR de Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication offers journalism and communication degrees that overlap with IHECS's programs. It is a broader French university serving a comparable French-speaking student audience with adjacent curricula.
• Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB): ULB is the largest French-speaking university in Brussels and offers journalism, communication, and information science programs that overlap with IHECS's offerings. It is a broader incumbent operating across many disciplines but competing for the same francophone Belgian students.
• UCLouvain: UCLouvain is a major French-speaking Belgian university that offers communication and media programs alongside a wide portfolio. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities but broader scope than IHECS's communication-only focus.
• Sciences Po (Institut d'études politiques de Paris): Sciences Po runs the School of Journalism and Communication and the School of Public Affairs, both of which overlap with IHECS's journalism and European Public Affairs executive master offerings. It is a broader incumbent with stronger brand but similar target personas.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/IHECS/51764349061
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/IHECS-3886371?gid=3886371
• Instagraminstagram.com/ihecs
• Xx.com/ihecs

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IHECS