Licensing

To apply for the New York State Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensure exams, you must submit the appropriate application forms. 

Applicants must submit Form 2 as part of their application to take the licensing exam in the following circumstances:

LMSW

• If you graduated over one (1) year ago and your initial application has expired.
• If you sat for and passed the LMSW licensing exam in another state and wish to transfer the score to New York State. 

Please do not submit Form 2 if you graduated within the last twelve (12) months and have not yet taken and passed a licensure exam. 

Click here to download LMSW Form 2.
    
LCSW

• If you meet the additional requirements for the LCSW, which include:
  • Three (3) years of post-MSW supervised experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning acceptable to the department; and
  • Meeting clinical examination requirements.

If you graduated from the MSW program within the last twelve (12) months, your information will be sent to the state via Form 20 rather than Form 2. Please do not submit Form 2 unless one of the above circumstances applies to you.

Click here to download LCSW Form 2.

Form 1 can be self-submitted via the online application. Form 2 requires the student to complete and sign the first page. The remaining pages must be completed by the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare administrative team. 

Once you have completed and signed the first page of Form 2, please submit the following Google Form and upload your completed document.

Please be advised that we can only accept forms that are in a photo format (JPEG, PNG, etc.) or document format (PDF, DOCX, etc.). Any forms that do not meet these guidelines will not be reviewed, and you will need to resubmit the form with a new attachment.

Click here to access the Google Form for document submission.

Licensing workshops are held during the Spring semester and summer. Spring semester workshop details are included in course registration information that is sent to all students during the fall semester. Summer workshop information will be posted here in April 2027. In addition to SSW current students, Alumni are invited to enroll in the summer workshops. 

Did you know the SBU library has social work license exam review books available to you? Click here for more information.

Dear Master of Social Work Student:

New York State prides itself on the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. SUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements. This is a role SUNY plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, this disclosure will help you check to see what that state requires. 

Per U.S. Federal Regulations, §668.14 and §668.43, and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA Policy Manual, version 25.2), SUNY Stony Brook provides the following disclosure related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification.

This Disclosure is strictly limited to SUNY Stony Brook’s determination of whether its Master of Social Work educational program, if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the licensure or certification requirements in a State.

This disclosure does not provide any guarantee that any particular state licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application. Furthermore, this disclosure does not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure that may occur after this disclosure has been made.

SUNY Stony Brook has designed an educational program curriculum for the Master of Social Work program that, if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements in the states listed below. Links to the licensing board for the listed states have been provided for your convenience:

• New York: NYS Office of the Professions - Licensed Master Social Worker
• New Jersey: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs – State Board of Social Work Examiners
• Connecticut: CT Department of Public Health – Social Work Licensure
• Pennsylvania: PA State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors

To view or compare social work licensure requirements regulated in one or more jurisdictions within the United States and its territories and Canada, please visit the Social Work Regulation page within the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website. For any states or territories that are not currently included on the ASWB’s website, please contact the ASWB representative indicated on their website for additional information that they may have.