TENDENCIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION OF EU COUNTRIES AS AN OBJECT OF INTER-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

The article deals with the issue of the development of university education in the EU countries. The article presents statistical data on the number of students at each of the higher education levels of the European Union. The factors influencing the process of university education development have been discussed: European and national. It is generalized that the current tendencies of the development of higher education in the countries of the European Union are: the mass character of population obtaining higher education; increasing accessibility of higher education for citizens; internationalization. The general tendencies of organization of the educational process in universities of the European Union countries include: the use of higher education levels (bachelor and master); the use of credit-transfer system of training; the education quality control (developing common criteria for evaluating the quality of teaching and providing educational services); the expansion of academic mobility (creation of integrated educational programs and programs for conducting scientific researches); from teaching – to self-study; from skills – to competences and learning outcomes; orientation to achievement of goals and attention to the evaluation of achievements; dialogue between structures; from linearity – to dynamic thinking; providing the employment of graduates. It is noted that current trends in the development of higher education and specific activities of universities of the EU countries are increasingly affecting the socio-political and economic development of European countries. The objectives of the educational policy of the EU countries include: improving the provision of educational services, facilitating the employment of graduates and strengthening interaction with various sectors of the domestic and world economy, strengthening international cooperation activities, mobility of students and teaching staff, internationalization of higher education, which are crucial factors for advancement of our country in the global competition on the world market of goods and services. Taking into account the considered tendencies of the development of university education in the EU countries, recommendations have been offered to the domestic universities to improve their activity.