Houston Engineering Program Teaches Innovation as a Skill

Engineering students in Katy are learning something that used to seem unteachable: how to innovate on demand.

The University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering launched its Applied Innovation program at the Katy campus this academic year, attracting students eager to master the thinking skills behind breakthrough ideas. Professor David L. Crawley, who once helped Frito Lay establish product lines in the USSR, designed the course to treat innovation like any other engineering discipline that can be systematically learned.

"We've evolved the discussion about innovation from an esoteric opinion related to an outcome to a systematic tradecraft," Crawley explained. The course teaches six core cognitive skills: critical thinking, lateral thinking, systems thinking, logic modeling, reasoning, and communications.

The expansion comes as UH Katy launched more than 40 new classes in fall 2025, with enrollment projected to jump 130 percent. The innovation course serves as the gateway to the university's Technology Leadership and Innovation Management curriculum, which prepares students to lead in an economy increasingly built on creative problem solving.

What makes the program unique is its focus on mental processes rather than outcomes. Students learn to think like innovators before they're asked to create innovations. The methodology proved compelling enough that UH Libraries published a textbook about it in October 2025 titled "Engineering Ingenuity: A Pathway Overview and Playbook for Innovation Principles."

This spring marks the program's second semester in Katy, but Crawley isn't stopping with college students. The program will soon offer workshops and industry certifications for local professionals and companies looking to strengthen their innovation capabilities.

The Ripple Effect

The timing couldn't be better for the Katy community. As Houston continues growing as a technology and innovation hub, having a local pipeline of people trained in creative problem solving strengthens the entire region's competitive advantage.

Companies can now access training that turns innovation from a buzzword into a practical skill set. Students graduate with certifications that prove they can do more than follow instructions. They can pioneer new solutions.

The program also incorporates AI tools and processes, ensuring students learn to innovate with the technologies that will define their careers. Rather than replacing human creativity, these tools enhance it when wielded by people who understand the cognitive foundations of innovative thinking.

"For communities who seek to inspire and compete in the emerging economy, it's important to remember: You cannot dig a new hole by digging the same one deeper," Crawley said.

The Katy campus expansion represents UH's commitment to making advanced engineering education accessible beyond the main Houston campus, bringing cutting edge programs to students where they live and work.

Tomorrow's breakthroughs are being built today in a Katy classroom, one thinking skill at a time.