Understanding Licensure
To practice as a licensed clinical social worker, one must obtain approval from state governing bodies. Completing the M.S.W. online option with a clinical concentration typically fulfills Virginia’s educational requirements for licensure, but additional supervision hours and a clinical-level examination are required to meet Virginia licensure standards. Licensure standards vary by state.
Please note that the concentration in Macro Practice was not developed with the intention to meet the educational requirements for licensure as a clinical social worker in Virginia or any other U.S. state or territory.
SARA & Licensure Requirements
Note to prospective students: If you plan to be in a state other than Virginia while completing an online degree at VCU, please note that state regulations in every state determine whether VCU may offer you a place in a course or program. VCU participates in the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which allows students from NC-SARA-approved states to enroll in VCU’s programs. Currently, all states except for California are part of the SARA partnership. Please also note that as a VCU student enrolled in the M.S.W. online option, the university-wide policies would apply to you — in addition to the policies and technical standards of the VCU School of Social Work.
Please be aware that requirements for licensure vary from state to state. Faculty and administrators in VCU’s academic programs leading to professional licensure help students learn about licensure in a variety of ways. In the VCU M.S.W. Program online option, Office of Student Success advisors offer information sessions about licensure requirements in Virginia.1
Information about educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in other states is available from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).
The Association of Social Work Boards is an organization of licensing boards/agencies for all 50 states, D.C., Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the ten Canadian provinces. ASWB maintains a database of information about social work regulations and licensure requirements in other jurisdictions as a service to ASWB members and the public.
The database allows prospective applicants to search licensure requirements by jurisdiction, compare requirements across multiple jurisdictions, and link directly to state licensing boards for additional information and/or clarification.
If you have questions about the VCU M.S.W. Program online option’s current curriculum or satisfaction of a specific requirement, email us for assistance. Our program has not been subject to any adverse action within the last five years.
1 Please note: The School of Social Work offers two concentrations in social work practice, (a) clinical social work practice and (b) macro practice. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), “Clinical social work is a specialty practice area of social work which focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral disturbances. Individual, group, and family therapy are common treatment modalities. Social workers who provide these services are required to be licensed or certified at the clinical level in their state of practice.” The Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in macro practice was not developed with the intention to meet the educational requirements for licensure as a clinical social worker in Virginia or any other U.S. state or territory. If an applicant wants to engage in clinical social work practice and seek a clinical license, they should apply to the M.S.W. Program’s clinical concentration.