Licensed Social Worker
Once you've earned your social work degree you'll need licensing to practice. Find your licensing requirements.
About Licensed Social Workers
Once you've earned a degree in social work, it's time to work on your next career step: becoming a licensed social worker.
The purpose of licensing in social work is to create standards for the professional practice of social work. 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. Licensing—at different levels of social work—is mandatory in all states.
Becoming a Licensed Social Worker
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.
Since licensing requirements vary from state to state, it behooves you to research your state's specifications beforehand. Most states require two years (3,000 hours) of supervised field experience in order to become a licensed social worker.
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 because most states now use licensing tests conducted by the Association of Social Work Boards (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.
Resources for Finding Your State's Licensing Requirements
For licensing guidelines in your region, consult the ASWB's State Social Work Regulatory Boards page, which lists recent laws, regulations, exam requirements, fees and licensing body contact information for each state.
Your local chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a great resource for not only licensing, but listing standards for every social work field.
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.
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 social work licensing.