CONTEXT:A new law enabling curriculum reform led a small circle of interested faculty members at the University of Vienna medical school to launch the Medizin Curriculum Wien project (MCW) to plan a new curriculum under the supervision of the Committee on Educational Affairs (Studienkommission). OBJECTIVE:The first stage of the project dealt with the definition of a profile of competencies (Qualifikationsprofil), which describes all the competencies we want our students to possess upon graduation. METHOD:This paper presents the approach to and process of defining this profile at one of Europe's largest medical schools, currently enrolling over 1500 new students per year. The procedure involved: preparing materials; communication with stakeholders; information dissemination; feedback gathering; information structuring, and formulating the profile of competencies. RESULTS:Application of the outlined steps in two rounds proved successful for the development of a profile of student competencies for Vienna. General acceptance and awareness of the new profile as well as commitment for a further reform process was engendered. The distinct characteristics of the profile are discussed. CONCLUSION AND UTILIZATION: A profile of student competencies must balance the demanding objectives of curriculum planners and the actual challenges presented by many local parameters; this can be done by employing the process outlined in this paper. The defined profile serves as an accepted reference point in the further development of the medical curriculum.