Design education is a unique combination of creativity, innovation, and academic pedagogy. It serves as the crucible in which the ‘how’ of the field matures from the ‘what’ as aspiring designer’s transition into professional practice. However, it is a complex space, as there is a sharp divide between practitioners entering academia and academics transitioning to design instruction. As education matures to meet the demands of the practical-oriented field, it becomes critical to create a means of preparation that integrates the experiential knowledge of practitioners with the formalized academic understanding of scholars. This research highlights the gap between seasoned designers who become educators without formal pedagogical training and faculty teaching design without industry experience. The research proposes a Unified Design Educator Programme (U.DEP) to fill that gap. The method includes quantitative analysis through surveys, qualitative exploration through interviews, and a thorough literature review to theorize a new conceptual educational model. The research results demonstrate the challenges for design educators and the interdisciplinary collaborations offered by the proposed Unified Design Educator Programme, which provides a transformative education model. Exploratory research suggests the need for partnerships, regional networks, collaborations, and ways non-traditional educators can traverse a pathway towards uninterrupted interdisciplinary inquiry and discipline. Nevertheless, a significant amount of additional research is required to enable lifelong learning for educators and promote policy-level modifications that will comprehensively incorporate the design field. In conclusion, this study navigates the complex field of design education to contribute to the potential of the U.DEP to reshape design pedagogy.