No matter what, no matter how hard they try, they can't keep Steve from his degree forever. If he has to take two more hours, so be it. Know that you will call the guy a jack@ss to his face at your first opportunity, and reach serenity via that certain knowledge.
Now, in practical terms, what does "two more hours" mean? And if he takes the two more hours, and they reject his thesis, what will he have to do? And can he get it in writing?
It's a slough, sure enough ... but there's gotta be something gorgeous on the other side, right?
Getting it in writing is going to be a priority from now on...this "He said" and "there must be some confusion" business has got to stop. We did discuss that this evening.
He'll likely have to take 2 more hours of "thesis" which is a class that he gets credit for but doesn't have to show up for. I don't know what will happen if they reject his thesis again this semester.