Should a parent do as the title of this post asks? Absolutely not. Should a parent make certain requests or offer advice regarding that major? Sure. It is grossly unfair for parents to dicate what a child must study. They are their own person, and have their own opinions and interests. However, I do want to my kids to ensure that whatever they choose to study actually comes with some job prospects in the end. If my kid wants to major in art, fine, but I want her to know what she plans to do with that degree. If that means taking some extra classes in order to double major, etc… so be it. I speak from experience becasue I earned a fairly useless degree that had very little practical applications.