I had something like this happen when I was working on my last degree, They told me I was short one basic physics lab credit in my final semester as I was elbows deep in writing my thesis on the effects of storm water runoff on urban and suburban environments in relation to mitigating building techniques. I had done two years of field research, multiple high level courses in soil physics, fate and transport of chemical systems, hydrology, hydrogeology. It took going to the head of my department in a meeting with him and a phone call with top brass to get it written off otherwise i would be required to take a intro to physics lab, but just the lab.