AbstractIn the 20th century, the university faced a principally new type of cultural development and there was a necessity of transformation to get adapted to new conditions. Change of cultural epochs lead to a change in criteria and principles conditioning the university education system. Largely it affected “externally invisible and inaudible” factor, “the fluid of spiritual life” of the university, “human immaterial sub-basis” of its existence (Jaspers, 2006) - its humanitarian meaning. This can nowadays indicate that existence of the university is challenged.The methodological basis of the research is presented by the comparative method which allows comparing scientific and humanitarian education by the criterion of correlation of professional activity in any field with a humanitarian constituent. The method of historic reenactment is also used in the article.The problem of historical transformation of higher professional education was analyzed. Cultural-humanitarian bases in conditions of the contemporary type of cultural development in globalized world were found out. The contribution of philosophical education to the conservation of humanitarian traditions in the university was defined. The university was considered on the basis of different cultures and epochs. Special attention was paid to characteristics of contemporary culture. It can be concluded that humanitarization is one of the main criterial characteristics of the university.