SARA and licensure requirements

Note to prospective students: If you plan to be in a state other than Virginia while completing an online degree at VCU, please note that state regulations in every state determine whether VCU may offer you a place in a course or program. VCU participates in the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which allows students from NC-SARA-approved states to enroll in VCU’s programs. Currently, all states except for California are part of the SARA partnership. Please also note that as a VCU student enrolled in the M.S.W. online option, the university-wide policies would apply to you — in addition to the policies and technical standards of the VCU School of Social Work.

Completion of requirements for the Master of Social Work degree with a clinical concentration (*disclaimer) typically meets the educational requirement for licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia. Please be aware that requirements for licensure vary from state to state. Faculty and administrators in VCU’s academic programs leading to professional licensure help students learn about licensure in a variety of ways. In the VCU M.S.W. Program online option, Office of Student Success advisors offer information sessions about licensure requirements in Virginia.

Information about educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in other states is available from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).

The Association of Social Work Boards is an organization composed of licensing boards/agencies for all 50 states, D.C., Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and 10 Canadian provinces. ASWB maintains a database of information about social work regulations and licensure requirements in other jurisdictions as a service to ASWB members and the public. 

The database allows prospective applicants to search licensure requirements by jurisdiction, compare requirements across multiple jurisdictions and link directly to state licensing boards for additional information and/or clarification.

If you have questions about the VCU M.S.W. Program’s current curriculum or satisfaction of a specific requirement, you may email sswinfo@vcu.edu for assistance.

The VCU M.S.W. Program has not been subject to any adverse action within the last five years.