​Social Work Licensure Determinations

State social work licensing standards vary by state.  

Some states only require the completion of an MSW degree from a CSWE accredited program to be eligible for social work licensure in that state. These states have a Brown School “positive determination” — as seen in the table below.  

Other states require specific curricular paths (a mixture of courses), explicit course content, and/or other state-specific requirements.  States that require explicit content or additional requirements have a Brown School “negative determination” —as seen in the table below.

A “negative determination” does not mean that your Brown School program prevents social work license eligibility in your stateThis designation simply means that there are additional requirements, specific content, and/or state-specific requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for licensure, if you choose to pursue it.

This document provides information on additional requirements from each state with a negative determination.  If you have questions, please contact brownadmissions@wustl.edu to set up a time to speak with our MSW program office. 

STATES WITH POSITIVE DETERMINATION​STATES WITH NEGATIVE DETERMINATION 
​Alabama​California
​Alaska ​Colorado
​Arizona​Florida*
​Arkansas​Indiana*
​Connecticut​Kansas
​Delaware​New Jersey*
​Georgia​New Mexico
​Hawaii​New York**
​Idaho​South Carolina
​Illinois​Texas
​Iowa​Vermont
​Kentucky​Virginia**
​Louisiana ​Washington 
​Maine​Wisconsin*
​Maryland
​Massachusetts
​Michigan
Minnesota
​Mississippi
​Missouri 
​Montana
​Nebraska
​Nevada
​New Hampshire
​North Carolina
​North Dakota
​Ohio
​Oklahoma
​Oregon
​Pennsylvania
​Rhode Island
​South Dakota
​Tennessee
​Utah 
​West Virginia
​Wyoming
*Negative determination unless Mental Health concentration

**Positive determination for LMSW; Negative determination for LCSW unless Mental Health concentration