The article examines essential characteristics and specific features, role of elective disciplines in the formation of professional competence of students as future teachers. Important and promising characteristics of the content of professional competence of students as future teachers have been studied and theoretically justified. We have theoretically justified, practically developed and experimentally tested an original model of formation of professional competence of students as future teachers when studying elective disciplines in conditions of a teaching institute, including criteria, rates and levels of performance of this process. Within the conducted experiment, we have empirically tested and proved the pedagogical efficiency of the developed original model of formation of professional competence of students as future teachers when studying elective disciplines, the role of elective disciplines as a means of formation of professional competence of students as future teachers has also been proved.