The need for program development activities has arisen due to the necessity of identifying deficiencies in programs, being open to changes and improvements, and ensuring that these adjustments contribute to the enhancement of the quality of education. This study examines the usage of major program development models that guide the coordination of program development efforts, based on their utilization in research. A qualitative research design has been employed as the research method, and document analysis, a qualitative data collection technique, has been used to gather data. The data for the study were collected using a checklist created based on the features of 19 widely used program development models in the literature and the principles of the program development process. To examine the prevalence of these program development models, 19 master's theses and 12 doctoral dissertations conducted between 1982 and 2021 were included in the research, with a focus on the keywords ‘program development’ and ‘program development models’ in the National Thesis Center.