Licensure Requirements for a Licensed Social Worker (LSW)

An applicant may be granted a license as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) if he or she submits to the Board a properly-completed application for such licensure, accompanied by all of the following: (1) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she possesses one of the following combinations of education and social work experience: (a) A baccalaureate degree in social work (BSW) from an undergraduate school or program of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a degree from a foreign educational institution which is equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in social work as determined by the Council on Social Work Education; or (b) A baccalaureate degree in a field other than social work from an accredited college or university, plus a minimum of 3500 hours of work experience over not less than two years in the provision of social work services as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual and under the direct supervision of an individual who meets the requirements of 258 CMR 9.05(2); or (c) A minimum of 2½ years (75 semester hours or 100 quarter hours), but less than four years, of undergraduate college education at an accredited college or university, plus a minimum of 8,750 hours of work experience over not less than five years in the provision of social work services as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual and under the direct supervision of an individual who meets the requirements of 258 CMR 9.05(2); or (d) Two years (60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours) of undergraduate college education at an accredited college or university, plus a minimum of 10,500 hours of work experience over not less than six years in the provision of social work services as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual and under the direct supervision of an individual who meets the requirements of 258 CMR 9.05(2); or (e) One year (30 semester hours or 40 quarter hours) of undergraduate college education at an accredited college or university, plus a minimum of 14,000 hours of work experience over not less than eight years in the provision of social work services as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual and under the direct supervision of an individual who meets the requirements of 258 CMR 9.05(2); or (f) A high school diploma, or its equivalent, plus a minimum of 17,500 hours of work experience over not less than ten years in the provision of social work services as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual and under the direct supervision of an individual who meets the requirements of 258 CMR 9.05(2). (2) In the case of any applicant who is applying for licensure pursuant to any provision of 258 CMR 9.05(1) other than 258 CMR 9.05(1)(a), satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she completed the required work experience in the provision of social work services under the direct supervision of, and received individual face-to-face supervision at a rate of not less than one hour of supervision for every 35 hours of work experience from: (a) An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker issued by the Board; (b) An individual who meets the requirements for licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, but is exempt from the licensure requirement pursuant to 258 CMR 9.02(1); (c) An individual who holds a license from another jurisdiction which authorizes that individual to provide clinical social work services as an independent practitioner, if the requirements for the issuance of that license are, in the opinion of the Board, substantially equivalent to the requirements for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; (d) An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Certified Social Worker issued by the Board pursuant to 258 CMR 9.04; (e) An individual who meets the requirements for licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Licensed Certified Social Worker, but is exempt from the licensure requirement pursuant to 258 CMR 9.02(1); (f) An individual who holds a license from another jurisdiction for which the requirements for licensure in that jurisdiction are, in the opinion of the Board, substantially equivalent to the requirements for licensure as a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; or (g) An individual who holds at least a baccalaureate degree in social work (BSW) from an undergraduate school or program of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a degree from a foreign educational institution which is equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in social work as determined by the Council on Social Work Education. (3) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she has passed the Basic licensure examination administered by the Association of Social Work Boards, or its successor agency, or an equivalent examination as determined by the Board, not more than two years prior to the date of his or her application; (4) A minimum of three professional references, on forms furnished for that purpose by the Board or its agent, from persons familiar with the applicant’s professional experience in the field of social work, attesting that the applicant is of good moral character and has demonstrated that he or she will conduct his or her activities as a social worker in accordance with generally accepted standards of professional social work practice. One such reference shall be from the person who supervised the applicant in his or her most recent social work employment setting, a person who is licensed by the Board as a Licensed Certified Social Worker or Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, or a person who is eligible for such licensure pursuant to 258 CMR 9.03, 258 CMR 9.04 or 258 CMR 9.07; and (5) Payment of the licensure fees prescribed by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance pursuant to M.G.L. c. 7, § 3B.