Abstract
The article presents a theoretical overview characterizing the research potential of transdisciplinary methods. The empirical part was conducted in the South of Russia (Stavropol Krai) in July 2023; it summarizes the practices of using transdisciplinary methods in the analysis of socio-economic and environmental processes. The professional community of environmentalists of Stavropol Krai was involved in the development of strategic vectors of interaction with university education to solve a common task –the training of highly qualified specialists in demand by production. In the course of the study we assessed the involvement of the professional community of ecologists in the processes of interaction with university teachers; the quality of training of graduates of environmental educational programs of higher education; we identified the practiced and promising types of interaction between the professional community of ecologists and the university. The research shows the importance of universal professional competencies for the successful work of a graduate of environmental educational programs. The data obtained provide an understanding of the importance of new research strategies using transdisciplinary approaches in the analysis of socio-economic and environmental processes.