Provisional Licensure (Alternate Pathway)
The statutory change effective October 1, 2024, re-codified the Provisional License statute 148D.061 to expand eligibility criteria to all persons with CSWE accredited degree in social work. Minnesota Statutes section 148E creates an alternate pathway to licensure in Minnesota without attempting the ASWB National Exam for all license types: LSW, LGSW, LISW, LICSW.
No Exam Required.
Applicant will not receive an Exam Approval Letter with a Provisional Application.
Provisional licensees complete 37.5 hours of supervision
over the course of 2000 hours of practice.
If you work full time, 160 hours of practice is about a month, and 2000 hours of practice is about one year of full-time employment with no breaks. Working full time with no breaks in employment, obtaining supervision at a rate of 3 hours every month according to Board requirements, you would complete your provisional license supervised practice in about one year. You would then be eligible to apply for your standard license and begin the supervised practice requirement for that license.
You can apply for a provisional license if you do not have a current social work license of the equivalent type in any state or jurisdiction. Review complete requirements in Minnesota Statutes section 148E and follow the links below for detailed information about requirements for each license type:
Provisional License Pathway to a Standard License
Upon completion of the requirements for a provisional license, it is necessary for the applicant to pursue a standard license to continue to engage in social work practice under Minnesota Statute Chapter 148E. A Provisional to Standard License Application must be submitted, and all required steps, including submission of the initial licensure fee upon approval for licensure, must be completed within one year or the application is closed.