Home

Licensed Social Worker

How to become a licensed social worker.

Home | Job Description | Degrees | Licensing | Salary | Find Schools

Social Work Licensing

Once you've earned a degree in social work, it's time to work on your next career step; becoming licensed.

Most professions in the health care field have standards to uphold and regulations in place to protect citizens from malpractice or professional misconduct. Social workers who complete the state licensing process demonstrate a commitment to upholding the professional codes of conduct in their field.

The Licensing Process

States generally regulate four main categories of social workers:

  • Those with bachelor's degrees
  • Those with master's degrees
  • Advanced generalists (defined as MSWs with two years post-master's experience)
  • MSWs with two years of post-master's direct clinical social work experience

Some states may only regulate one of these practice levels, but most will license two or more levels of social workers.

Find Social Work Degree Programs

As licensing requirements certainly vary from state to state, it behooves you to research your state's specifications beforehand. For instance, Connecticut requires 100 hours of supervised fieldwork to become a licensed clinical social worker, while Arizona demands 3,200 hours of supervised clinical work to become licensed. Like Arizona, most states require two years (3,000 hours) of supervised field experience for social work licensure.

Once you're able to meet your state's fieldwork qualifications, you'll need to register to take a licensing examination. These exams usually consist of 150 multiple-choice questions, answered electronically within a four-hour time frame. Each state drafts individual pass/fail guidelines for the test, so once again, make sure to check your state's guidelines before the exam. Once you pass, you're a licensed social worker!

Because each state has its own laws and regulations, a social work license is not transferable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. But there is good news. Because most states now use licensing tests conducted by the ASWB, it's easier than ever to transfer licensing credentials from state to state (just be aware that requirements will change across borders, and in most instances you will need to retake your licensing exam). The ASWB also offers a Social Work Registry to social workers, which makes transferring credentials from one state to another easier.

Find Social Work Degree Programs

How to Find Your State's Licensing Requirements

Professional licensing for social workers is required in every state, as well as the District of Columbia. For licensing guidelines in your region, the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is a great resource, as is your local chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). These groups were instrumental in forming most state licensing guidelines and can point you in the right direction for licensing specifications.

The ASWB has a helpful guide on their website (http://aswb.org) called Social Work Laws & Regulations Comparison Database, which breaks down requirements by state, province or territory. The database also provides recent laws, regulations, exam requirements, fees and licensing body contact information for each state.

Your state government website will also have links to your state's department of licensing. There you should find all the resources you need to answer your questions.

Find Social Work Degree Programs

Spotlight Schools

Walden University

At Walden, you'll benefit not only from our unique distance learning delivery models, but from the personal attention of our world-class faculty, and from a highly customized program that is directly related to your career goals.

Select a Campus:Online

Licensing vs. Certification vs. Registration

Here's a word or two about licensing versus certification or registration, as these terms often confuse people. Licensing is mandatory in all states for different levels of social work, while certification or registration is usually voluntary. Because licensing is compulsory and is usually preceded by a strong educational background in social work, it comes with greater status in the professional world. In some cases, such as in private clinical work, licensing is also the only way to secure a paycheck. Most insurance companies don't recognize clinical social workers who aren't licensed. As you can see, certification and/or registration are no substitutes for licensing.

Table of Contents