Social work licensure in Mississippi

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists.

License levels

LSWLicensed Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Bachelors exam.
The rules are explicit: “LSW applicants are examined at the BACHELORS level.”
LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Masters exam.
“LMSW applicants are examined at the MASTERS level.”
LCSWLicensed Certified Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.
You must already hold the LMSW, and the supervision comes before the exam: at least an hour a week face-to-face with a board-approved LCSW supervisor for a minimum of 100 hours, over no fewer than 24 and no more than 36 consecutive months, with 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact inside that period. No more than 25 of the supervision hours may be by video. Only then does the board approve you to sit the Clinical exam.

Worth knowing about Mississippi

Mississippi’s clinical license is the Licensed Certified Social Worker — “certified”, but unlike Maryland or Massachusetts it genuinely is the clinical license and it genuinely takes the Clinical exam. Two deadlines are worth writing down. You may retest every 90 days, but if you have not passed within one year of your initial application date you must reapply and pay the fees again; and after four failed attempts you have to appeal to the board to keep testing, which it may grant alongside remedial recommendations. The board also approves you before you register, so the sequence is application, approval letter, then exam — and the clock starts at that letter.

Common questions about Mississippi

Which ASWB exam do I need for Mississippi?: LSW 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 Mississippi issue?: LSW (Licensed Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker).
How many supervised hours does Mississippi require?: LCSW: 1,000 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 Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists 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 Mississippi calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

License levels

LSWLicensed Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Bachelors exam.

The rules are explicit: “LSW applicants are examined at the BACHELORS level.”

LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Masters exam.

“LMSW applicants are examined at the MASTERS level.”

LCSWLicensed Certified Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.

You must already hold the LMSW, and the supervision comes before the exam: at least an hour a week face-to-face with a board-approved LCSW supervisor for a minimum of 100 hours, over no fewer than 24 and no more than 36 consecutive months, with 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact inside that period. No more than 25 of the supervision hours may be by video. Only then does the board approve you to sit the Clinical exam.

Worth knowing about Mississippi

Common questions about Mississippi

Which ASWB exam do I need for Mississippi?

LSW 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 Mississippi issue?

LSW (Licensed Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does Mississippi require?

LCSW: 1,000 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 Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.