Darren Mackie's first-half diving header gave them the away goal that carried them into the group stages with a 1-1 draw in Ukraine.
Dnipro levelled when a clearance cannoned off Andriy Vorobey and into the net with 15 minutes left and the Dons survived a late onslaught with Dnipro hitting the bar three times in the second period.
And Calderwood was delighted to continue the run with the first-round victory over a team brimming with Ukraine internationals.
He said: "I took Dunfermline to the Scottish Cup final and into Europe and then Aberdeen into Europe.
"But winning against a team of this quality is definitely the biggest achievement of my career.
"In the group I don't think we will face two or three teams as good as Dnipro. Maybe one but there won't be may as good as this team.
"It's a great result for Scottish football and a great result for us.
"Our coefficient will be going up and maybe we might get another team in the UEFA Cup.
"Five out of the league wouldn't be too bad."
