The article is based on the creative use of modern socio-humanitarian literature, including pedagogical, the terminological essence of university education is disclosed. It is emphasized that the main features of the university type of study are: ensuring the degree of teaching of disciplines; fundamental research; high level of informatization of the pedagogical process; the activities of universities as regional centers for the dissemination of new knowledge and innovative learning technologies; international cooperation in the field of higher education training students, masters, scientific and research and teaching staff for other countries. The development of university pedagogical education is carried out taking into account both historical traditions and modern trends of functioning of domestic and foreign educational systems. It is stressed that the theoretical-methodological and ideological benchmark in the essential sense of the modern trends in the development of university education in Ukraine is the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education", which establishes the basic scientific, organizational and legal principles of the functioning of higher educational institutions on the principles of their autonomy, the combination of education with science the purpose of innovative development of the country, self-realization of the individual, ensuring the needs of the society, the labor market and the state in the skilled workers. The main task of university pedagogical education at the present stage of its development is to instill students' skills in creative critical thinking, to search and systematize reasoned logical selection of diverse information, independent research and analysis of complex natural and social phenomena and processes.