Massachusetts Licensed Social Worker (LSW) Guide - 2024

Massachusetts Licensed Social Worker (LSW) Licensure Process

As a licensed social worker, you will be under the supervision of the two higher social work license holders. In addition to the responsibilities of the LSWA, you will perform non-clinical client consultation and case management. 

Here are the categories of requirements for attaining the LSWA license in Massachusetts:

Educational Requirements

The educational qualification for LSW licensure are:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Works (Must be from a CSWE-approved institution).
• Bachelor’s degree in any discipline plus documented experience.
• Two and a half years of college plus documented experience.
• Associate degree (two years of college) plus documented experience.
• One year of college plus documented experience.
• High school diploma or its equivalent plus documented experience.

Here you can find all schools offering social work degree programs in Massachusetts.

Experience Requirements

You require documented experience if you hold any educational qualification other than a Bachelor’s degree in Social work. Here are the experience requirements for the other educational qualifications.

• For a bachelor’s degree in any other discipline, you require at least two years of post-degree documented experience under a Bachelor’s in Social work or a Master’s in Social work.
• For two and a half years of college, you require at least five years of documented experience under the supervision of a Bachelor’s in Social Works or Masters in Social Works holder.
• For two years (Associate degree) of college, you require at least six years of documented experience under the supervision of a Bachelor’s in Social Works or Masters in Social Works holder.
• For one year of college, you require at least eight years of documented experience under the supervision of a Bachelor’s in Social Works or Masters in Social Works holder.
• For a high school diploma or its equivalent, you require at least ten years of documented experience under the supervision of a Bachelor’s in Social Works or Masters in Social Works holder.

Examination Requirements

There are examination requirements for LSW applicants. The board requires applicants to pass the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) National Bachelors of Social Works Exam. However, the board must screen your application and give the go-ahead before you take this exam.

You can register online for the national bachelor’s social works exam. You can also register by mail, phone, or fax by downloading, filling, and submitting the exam registration form.

Reference Requirements

The board requires two professional references along with one supervisory reference. At least one of these references must be an LCSW or LICSW license holder or a holder of an equivalent license from another state.

Applying for Licensure as a Licensed Social Worker

Complete and submit an online licensure application form to the board OR send your application to the email address for application. The ASWB processes licensure applications on behalf of the state board. Your application should contain the following documents;

• Certified transcripts of the highest suitable degree from your college. Your college can send the transcript electronically to this email address or in a sealed official envelope.
• A completed criminal background check in a signed, notarized criminal history acknowledgment form.
• A 2-inch by 2-inch color passport photograph. The photograph must be clear and scanned, and submitted during the online application or sent via mail with the other application documents.
• Two professional references.

The board requires that you pay an application fee of $173.

• Pay your LSW licensing fee of $54.
• The board will notify you by mail if your application has gained its approval or if there are issues to resolve. If your application is approved, proceed to register for the ASWB exam. The ASWB exam registration fee is $230.
• The ASWB will send your result to the board if you pass the exam.