This article examines program development in teacher education, with an emphasis on how teacher educators pursue coherence. The analysis contributes to existing literature by investigating how coherence is pursued as part of program development and by analytically situating coherence as an emergent achievement that requires the alignment of program design with institutional practices. The empirical data derive from four Norwegian teacher education institutions that were redesigning their programs in response to expectations of increased program coherence. Cultural historical theory and the concept of institutional coherence are used to examine how coherence is pursued at the intersection of institutional practices and emergent developmental processes. The findings highlight how institutional practices inform program development, requiring program leaders to navigate complex organisational, epistemic and political landscapes in their efforts toward coherence. Implications for the conceptualisation of coherence and for program leadership in teacher education are discussed.