Social work licensure in Alaska

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners.

License levels

LBSWBaccalaureate Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Bachelors exam.
The ASWB Bachelors examination.
LMSWMaster Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Masters exam.
The ASWB Masters examination.
LCSWClinical Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.
The ASWB Clinical examination, an MSW or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited university, and two years of postgraduate full-time clinical employment (or 3,000 hours part-time), plus 100 hours of face-to-face supervision.

Worth knowing about Alaska

Alaska widens who may supervise you, which matters in a state where finding a supervisor at all can be the binding constraint. Clinical supervision toward the LCSW may come from an LCSW, a PsyD or a psychiatrist — not only from another clinical social worker, as most states require. Alaska also states the mapping plainly: you sit the ASWB exam “at the level for which you are applying”, so the three licenses take the Bachelors, Masters and Clinical exams respectively.

Common questions about Alaska

Which ASWB exam do I need for Alaska?: LBSW requires the ASWB Bachelors exam; LMSW requires the ASWB Masters exam; LCSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.
What social work licenses does Alaska issue?: LBSW (Baccalaureate Social Worker); LMSW (Master Social Worker); LCSW (Clinical Social Worker).
How many supervised hours does Alaska require?: LCSW: 3,000 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.
Is this information current?: These requirements were last checked against Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.

Which exam will you sit?

Whatever Alaska calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

License levels

LBSWBaccalaureate Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Bachelors exam.

The ASWB Bachelors examination.

LMSWMaster Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Masters exam.

The ASWB Masters examination.

LCSWClinical Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.

The ASWB Clinical examination, an MSW or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited university, and two years of postgraduate full-time clinical employment (or 3,000 hours part-time), plus 100 hours of face-to-face supervision.

Worth knowing about Alaska

Common questions about Alaska

Which ASWB exam do I need for Alaska?

LBSW requires the ASWB Bachelors exam; LMSW requires the ASWB Masters exam; LCSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.

What social work licenses does Alaska issue?

LBSW (Baccalaureate Social Worker); LMSW (Master Social Worker); LCSW (Clinical Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does Alaska require?

LCSW: 3,000 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.

Is this information current?

These requirements were last checked against Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.