Master of Social Work: General – Minnesota

LU’s MSW program offers all the courses and internships necessary to meet education requirements for licensure in Minnesota* for any of the following credentials. Students are encouraged to meet with their gate advisor by contacting msw@liberty.edu for course selection and sequencing information to ensure they will meet the requirements for their specific license of choice.

*Please note that state licensure regulations and requirements are subject to change. Students are encouraged to consult their state licensing board (Minnesota) regularly for updated information.

Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW)

• Exam Requirement: The candidate must pass an ASWB exam for the appropriate licensure level.
• Postgraduate Supervised Experience Requirement: No postgraduate supervised experience required before licensure.
• Additional requirements may apply.

Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW)

• Exam Requirement: The candidate must pass an ASWB exam for the appropriate licensure level.
• Postgraduate Supervised Experience Requirement: The candidate must have completed at least two (2) years (OR 4,000 hours) of postgraduate experience in nonclinical social work. This must be concurrent with a minimum of 100 hours of direct supervision at a rate of 4 hours of supervision per 160 hours of practice, of which at least 50 hours must be individual, with a licensed independent social worker (LISW), licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW), or licensed graduate social worker (LGSW) who has completed their supervised practice requirement.
• Additional Requirements
  • Must hold a current, active LGSW license.

Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)

• Exam Requirement: The candidate must pass an ASWB exam for the appropriate licensure level.
• Postgraduate Supervised Experience Requirement: In a period of no less than two (2) years but four (4) years, the candidate must have completed 4,000-8,000 hours of postgraduate experience in clinical social work, including at least 1,800 hours of direct client contact, under the supervision of a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW). This must be concurrent with a minimum of 200 hours of direct clinical supervision, at a rate of 4-8 hours of supervision per 160 hours of practice, of which at least 100 hours must be individual.
• Additional Requirements
  • Must hold a current, active LGSW license.