In this work, a comparison between the competences codes in the CDIO's * curriculum, the ones defined for the Tunning Project and the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is made. The goal is to define the most appropriate competences codes for the engineering education in Latin America. The CDIO code is obtained from the engineering practice, and responds to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards of accreditation. The Tuning competences are the ones defined for Latin America and the IPMA's are international competences for project management. It is the first time that the competences defined in ABET accreditation standards in the engineering field are compared with the international competences according to IPMA's model. The results give evidence that, in first place, there is a need to apply holistic models in the definition of an engineering curriculum. Second, the pertinence of these models in the definition of engineering programs in Latin America. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.