The CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) syllabus is the most detailed statement on the goals of engineering education currently found in the literature. This paper presents an in-depth validation exercise of the CDIO syllabus using the taxonomy of engineering competencies as a validating instrument. The study explains the attributes that make the taxonomy well suited for this purpose. The findings of the validation exercise give strong endorsement of the rationale of the syllabus and, with some minor qualifications, of its claim to articulate the goals of engineering education in a comprehensive way. The qualifications stem from the differences in the organising principles of the two statements. The study shows that the syllabus should give more attention to some production engineering contexts and makes a number of recommendations about how the syllabus could be further strengthened. (Contains 3 tables.)