Contemporary society needs initiative and independent specialists capable of improving their professional skills continually. These specialists are notable for high sensibility, curiosity, readiness for rapid updating of knowledge and a wide range of skills. Thus, the main purpose of higher education is the development of new educational content ensuring relevance and competitiveness of graduates in the labor market. In this article, the authors investigate the research work of technical university students studying at Master's programs in the context of innovative changes in modern education. Research work is the process of shaping the future specialist by individual cognitive activities aimed at obtaining new knowledge, solving theoretical and practical problems, self-education and self-realization. The authors prove that research work is one of the mechanisms for the integration of higher professional education into a modern innovative society