Rule 4757-19-02 | Requirements for licensure as an independent social worker.
The requirements for licensure as a licensed independent social worker are generally set forth in division (A) of section 4757.27 of the Revised Code. With regard to such applicants, the social work professional standards committee hereby prescribes:
(A) That the applicant shall apply for a license in accordance with the provisions of rule 4757-01-04 of the Administrative Code.
(B) The applicant shall include with the application the required fee per paragraph (D) of rule 4757-1-05 of the Administrative Code.
(C) That a license shall be issued to an applicant who meets the provisions of rule 4757-19-07 of the Administrative Code.
(D) Unless the applicant qualifies under rule 4757-19-07 of the Administrative Code, that the applicant have:
(1) A master's degree in social work and,
(2) Two years of supervised social work experience: defined as follows:
(a) "Two years employment experience" means at least two complete years supervised experience which includes three thousand hours of work for a fee, salary or other consideration, during which time the applicant was engaged in the practice of social work and held licensure as a social worker; except that no applicant may be credited with more than fifteen hundred hours of experience during any twelve-month period.
(b) Any supervised experience obtained after October 10, 1986, in the state of Ohio shall be supervised by an independent social worker.
(c) The dates that the supervised experience was obtained, not the date of application, will determine the type of acceptable experience required for an applicant to be licensed as a licensed independent social worker.
(3) That the applicant pass the examination meeting the requirements established by the social work professional standards committee to determine the applicant's ability to be an independent social worker. Applicants shall be pre-approved to take the examination per rule 4757-19-04 of the Administrative Code.
(4) Applicants shall have passed the required examination within seven years of application date, unless they are currently licensed to practice social work in Ohio and have previously passed the examination for independent licensure, or are currently licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state and passed the prescribed examination as part of the licensure requirements in that state.
(E) Per division (A) of section 4757.27 of the Revised Code, an independent social worker license shall clearly indicate each academic degree earned by the person to whom it is issued. Independent social worker wall certificates shall be prepared using the following acronyms for the degrees noted and only those earned as of the date of issuance. All bachelor's, master's and doctorate's shall be listed. Licensees or registrants may not use a doctorate designation in their professional capacity unless it is related to the field of mental health and is from a recognized accredited educational institution.
(1) Bachelor of arts - major social work or a related degree shall be "BA."
(2) Bachelor of social work - major social work shall be "BSW."
(3) Bachelor of science in social work - major social work shall be "BSSW."
(4) Bachelor of science - major social work or a related degree shall be "BS."
(5) Master of social work - major social work shall be "MSW."
(6) Master of arts - major social service administration shall be "MASSA."
(7) Master of science - in social administration major in social work shall be "MSSA."
(8) Master of arts - major social work related degree shall be "MA."
(9) Master of science - major social work related degree shall be "MS."
(10) Doctorate of social work - major in social work shall be "DSW."
(11) Doctor of philosophy - major in social work shall be "PhD."
(12) Doctorate of related area of mental health - related area of mental health majors shall be "PhD-Other."
Last updated December 27, 2023 at 8:21 AM
Supplemental Information