Jan 07, 2015 01:39 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Washington State University will offer three new online minors this year, school officials announced.

American Indian Studies, Film Studies and Hospitality Business Management are the three new online minors that the school will offer. The first two will be available beginning Spring 2015. The hospitality minor will be available this fall.

"The new online American Indian Studies minor will help students expand their knowledge, abilities and interests in Native American history, culture, politics and contemporary issues,"  WSU Professor Michael Holloman, who helped create the program, said in a statement. "It will also benefit anyone in a profession that involves interaction with tribal communities, enterprises and business partners."

The minor requires 18 credits, or six courses: Three core courses and three electives from a variety of related areas.

The Film Studies minor explores how cinema both reflects and influences the facts, ideas, and activities of any given society, according to Ana María Rodríguez-Vivaldi, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and a professor of Spanish and Film Studies.

"The study of film encourages critical thinking, and bring us to an understanding of cultural diversity, using it as a text of facts and ideas," she said. "The industry is becoming a new source for jobs in many fields, including students majoring in business, psychology, humanities, and social sciences."

The Hospitality Business Management minor offers practical skills for anyone seeking to launch or advance a career in the hospitality industry. Courses range from accounting to culinary management to international tourism, and are taught by WSU faculty who have a wealth of real-life industry experience.

The university's hospitality business program was established in 1932, making it the third oldest in the country, said Professor Nancy Swanger, director of the School of Hospitality Business Management. The coursework provides skills not only for the rapidly growing hospitality business, she said, but also for a wide variety of other industries.

The hospitality business program minor requires 19 credits, with one required three-credit course, one required one-credit course and five electives. Students must also earn 400 hours of paid internship or industry experience.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit