diff --git a/test/unit/api/v1/endpoints/test_program_endpoint.py b/test/unit/api/v1/endpoints/test_program_endpoint.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6bb261
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/api/v1/endpoints/test_program_endpoint.py
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+import json
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
+
+import pytest
+from fastapi import FastAPI
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+from control_backend.api.v1.endpoints import program
+from control_backend.schemas.program import Program
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def app():
+    """Create a FastAPI app with the /program route and mock socket."""
+    app = FastAPI()
+    app.include_router(program.router)
+    return app
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def client(app):
+    """Create a TestClient."""
+    return TestClient(app)
+
+
+def make_valid_program_dict():
+    """Helper to create a valid Program JSON structure."""
+    return {
+        "phases": [
+            {
+                "id": "phase1",
+                "name": "basephase",
+                "nextPhaseId": "phase2",
+                "phaseData": {
+                    "norms": [{"id": "n1", "name": "norm", "value": "be nice"}],
+                    "goals": [
+                        {"id": "g1", "name": "goal", "description": "test goal", "achieved": False}
+                    ],
+                    "triggers": [
+                        {
+                            "id": "t1",
+                            "label": "trigger",
+                            "type": "keyword",
+                            "value": ["stop", "exit"],
+                        }
+                    ],
+                },
+            }
+        ]
+    }
+
+
+def test_receive_program_success(client):
+    """Valid Program JSON should be parsed and sent through the socket."""
+    mock_pub_socket = AsyncMock()
+    client.app.state.endpoints_pub_socket = mock_pub_socket
+
+    program_dict = make_valid_program_dict()
+
+    response = client.post("/program", json=program_dict)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 202
+    assert response.json() == {"status": "Program parsed"}
+
+    # Verify socket call
+    mock_pub_socket.send_multipart.assert_awaited_once()
+    args, kwargs = mock_pub_socket.send_multipart.await_args
+
+    assert args[0][0] == b"program"
+
+    sent_bytes = args[0][1]
+    sent_obj = json.loads(sent_bytes.decode())
+
+    expected_obj = Program.model_validate(program_dict).model_dump()
+    assert sent_obj == expected_obj
+
+
+def test_receive_program_invalid_json(client):
+    """
+    Invalid JSON (malformed) -> FastAPI never calls endpoint.
+    It returns a 422 Unprocessable Entity.
+    """
+    mock_pub_socket = AsyncMock()
+    client.app.state.endpoints_pub_socket = mock_pub_socket
+
+    # FastAPI only accepts valid JSON bodies, so send raw string
+    response = client.post("/program", content="{invalid json}")
+
+    assert response.status_code == 422
+    mock_pub_socket.send_multipart.assert_not_called()
+
+
+def test_receive_program_invalid_deep_structure(client):
+    """
+    Valid JSON but schema invalid -> Pydantic throws validation error -> 422.
+    """
+    mock_pub_socket = AsyncMock()
+    client.app.state.endpoints_pub_socket = mock_pub_socket
+
+    # Missing "value" in norms element
+    bad_program = {
+        "phases": [
+            {
+                "id": "phase1",
+                "name": "deepfail",
+                "nextPhaseId": "phase2",
+                "phaseData": {
+                    "norms": [
+                        {"id": "n1", "name": "norm"}  # INVALID: missing "value"
+                    ],
+                    "goals": [
+                        {"id": "g1", "name": "goal", "description": "desc", "achieved": False}
+                    ],
+                    "triggers": [
+                        {"id": "t1", "label": "trigger", "type": "keyword", "value": ["start"]}
+                    ],
+                },
+            }
+        ]
+    }
+
+    response = client.post("/program", json=bad_program)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 422
+    mock_pub_socket.send_multipart.assert_not_called()