Abstract: The subject of this study is the teaching of humanities to students of technical specialties. The object of the research is the methodology of project activity in the higher education system aimed at expanding the professional competencies of engineering students. The authors consider in detail such aspects as interdisciplinary and personalized approaches in the higher education system and the key parameters of their relationship with project work. Special attention is paid in the article to the tasks that the project activity solves. Among them are the formation of knowledge, skills and abilities in key competencies, work in an interdisciplinary field, the formation of teamwork skills and the ability to evaluate it. The study provides a detailed description of the implemented projects at ITMO University. The scientific novelty lies in the presentation of the results of the approbation of projects of different scientific and pedagogical orientation. The main conclusions of the study convincingly demonstrate that the applied nature of projects is key for the development of skills in the historical and cultural field. At the same time, there is an adaptation of current knowledge about the current state of historical science. As a result, the focus on interdisciplinary and personalized approaches is directly reflected in the framework of project work by integrating historical knowledge with digital methods and research and tools of technical sciences.