Social Work Licensure

The MSW program at FSU prepares students for licensure in the state of Florida. For other states, please contact the Office of Professional Development and check licensure requirements in your desired state to practice.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

FSU’s Advanced Standing and Traditional programs are clinically-focused. This means students work in the field and graduate with the option to pursue their licensure in social work. Licensed clinical social workers often work with individual patients, groups or are members of organizations who provide social work services and support. To be certified as a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Florida, individuals have to complete:

• A Masters of Social Work degree
• 24 semester hours or 32 quarter hours in theory of human behavior and practice methods as courses in clinically oriented services
  • This includes a minimum of one course in psychopathology taken in a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• A supervised field placement that was part of the applicant’s advanced concentration in direct practice during which the applicant provided clinical service directly to clients
• Two years of post-master’s supervised experience under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker who is a qualified supervisor
  • The supervision experience must have consisted of at least 1,500 hours providing psychotherapy face to face with clients for the profession for which licensure is sought and shall be accrued in no less than 100 weeks. At least 100 hours of supervision per 1,500 hours of psychotherapy face to face with clients provided by the intern; at least one hour of supervision every two weeks; at least one hour of supervision per 15 hours of psychotherapy, with a minimum of one hour of supervision every two weeks. If the applicant obtained group supervision, each hour of group supervision must alternate with an hour of individual supervision. Individual supervision is defined as one supervisor supervising no more than two interns, and group supervision is defined as one supervisor supervising more than two but a maximum of six interns in the group.
• The national clinical-level examination developed by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
• The following classes:
  • An eight-hour laws and rules course
  • A two-hour prevention of medical errors course
  • A three-hour HIV/AIDS course
  • A two-hour domestic violence course from an approved provider
     

Licensure by Endorsement for Clinical Social Workers

Moving to Florida from another state?

If you hold a license and have been actively practicing in another state for three of the last five years, you can apply for licensure.

• Meet the requirements set by Florida and pass the national examination for licensure in Florida or pass with Board approval.
• Complete an eight-hour laws and rules course.
• Complete a two-hour prevention of medical errors course from an approved provider.

The Florida Board has a Facts and Questions page available.

For further reading, visit The Ultimate Guide to Careers in Social Work.