The creation of the university has its origin in a project of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) requested by Cuban Government.

The licentiate degree of all the specialties was imparted in the present Superior School of Management of the Industry Ministry and in some places of the Polytechnic "José Martí".

From 1986 the ISPETP was made with students graduated from the related specialties and is assigned the name of Héctor Alfredo Pineda Zaldívar, outstanding educator of the center that lost his life in the fulfillment of his professional duty.

At present, the faculties are arranged as follows: This University of Pedagogical Sciences is named after one of its professors: Héctor Alfredo Pineda Zaldívar, who fell in unequal combat in the Zumbe region, in the People's Republic of Angola where he collaborated as a teacher.

Sometimes, ISPETP is written as University of Pedagogical Sciences (Spanish: Universidad de Ciencias Pedagógicas) in some English literature, such as journals, etc.