The co-evolution of problems and solutions in creative design is understood, theorized and is made part of design education. The co-evolution of design practice and design research is significant and its implications for design education need to be understood. This article explores this co-evolution and examines its implications for design education. By analyzing the historical context of design education briefly and the imperatives like UN sustainable development goals, this paper lays out the necessity to consider more cross-disciplinary approaches for curricular design in design education aspects as one part and also lays out different roles of individual and institutional actors in design education influenced by the co-evolution of design research and design practice. Further, this article proposes strategies for incorporating this co-evolution into design education curricula to better prepare students for complexities of contemporary real-world challenges.