Social work licensure in Tennessee

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure, Department of Health.

License levels

LBSWLicensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.
LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker
The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.
LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker
The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.
LAPSWLicensed Advanced Practice Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam.
The Board’s own application asks: “Have you taken and passed the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam?” Its checklist requires supervision logs showing 3,000 non-clinical hours and 100 supervision hours, with the supervisor’s continuing education related to advanced generalist non-clinical social work supervision.

Worth knowing about Tennessee

Tennessee is one of the few states with a non-clinical advanced license, and it is the license that uses the rarest ASWB exam. The LAPSW — Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker — requires the Advanced Generalist exam and 3,000 hours of NON-clinical supervised experience, which makes it the macro-practice counterpart to the LCSW rather than a step below it. Only 117 people sat Advanced Generalist nationally in 2025 and ASWB publishes no official practice test for it, so if this is your route you are preparing for a genuinely under-served exam.

Common questions about Tennessee

Which ASWB exam do I need for Tennessee?: LAPSW requires the ASWB Advanced Generalist 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 Tennessee issue?: LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker); LAPSW (Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker).
How many supervised hours does Tennessee require?: LAPSW: 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 Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure, Department of Health 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 Tennessee calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

License levels

LBSWLicensed Baccalaureate Social Worker

The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker

The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker

The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

LAPSWLicensed Advanced Practice Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam.

The Board’s own application asks: “Have you taken and passed the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam?” Its checklist requires supervision logs showing 3,000 non-clinical hours and 100 supervision hours, with the supervisor’s continuing education related to advanced generalist non-clinical social work supervision.

Worth knowing about Tennessee

Common questions about Tennessee

Which ASWB exam do I need for Tennessee?

LAPSW requires the ASWB Advanced Generalist 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 Tennessee issue?

LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker); LAPSW (Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does Tennessee require?

LAPSW: 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 Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure, Department of Health on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.