Wisconsin Professional Certification & Licensure Disclosure

Certification and licensing for social workers across the U.S. requires a BSW or MSW from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program. A social work degree at both the bachelor’s and master’s level from UW-Milwaukee meets this requirement.

With a social work degree obtained from UW-Milwaukee, you will meet the initial licensing requirements for all 50 states. Each state has additional requirements, unique to that state, that will likely include an exam as well as post-graduate professional experience for LCSW or equivalent advanced licensure. There is a national exam through the Association of Social Work Boards, but not all states have adopted this exam.

More details about the licensing and certification requirements of all 50 states can be found on the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website.

Additional requirements in Wisconsin include:

Social Worker

The bachelor’s-level certification in Wisconsin is the Certified Social Worker (CSW), which requires:

  1. A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) education
  2. A Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code Examination
  3. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) bachelor’s-level national exam

Advanced Practice Social Worker

The entry master’s-level certification in Wisconsin is the Advanced Practice Social Worker (APSW), which requires:

  1. A Master of Social Work (MSW) education
  2. A Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code Examination
  3. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) master’s-level national exam

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

The advanced clinical-level license in Wisconsin is the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), which requires:

  1. A Master of Social Work (MSW) education with demonstrated clinical emphasis
  2. A post-graduate, supervised clinical practice experience (3,000 or 4,500 hours)
  3. A Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code Examination
  4. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) clinical-level national exam

Independent Social Worker

The advanced generalist certification in Wisconsin is called the Independent Social Worker (ISW), which requires:

  1. A Master of Social Work (MSW) education
  2. A post-graduate, supervised practice experience (two years)
  3. A Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code Examination
  4. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) advanced generalist-level national exam
Contact

mswadmis@uwm.edu