Social Work Degrees in Maryland – MD

Depending upon what type of social work you wish to practice, some type of social work degree in Maryland is necessary. Maryland stratifies the system of social work to different levels, with the lower level, Licensed Social Work Associate, requiring at least a bachelor degree (BSW) in social work. The upper levels, Licensed Graduate Social Work (LGSW), Licensed Certified Social Work (LCSW), and Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) all require at the least, a master (MSW) in social work degree. A BSW in Maryland may be obtained at a college, university, or online through distance learning, and usually takes about four years to complete. A MSW will take an additional two years to complete and can usually be obtained through the same channels.

At the clinical and certified levels, supervised experience is required. The Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (BSWE) mandates that all social work experience for these two levels must be obtained under the supervision of a qualified, registered, board-approved supervisor. In addition, the BSWE will not accept any social work experience which was obtained before receiving your LGSW. Your experience must have occurred after you were licensed in Graduate Social Work. At the clinical level, 3000 hours of experience is necessary, with at least 144 of those hours consisting of face-to-face supervision. The LCSW-C adds the requirement of 1500 of those 3000 hours being direct, face-to-face client contact; along with supervision in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders including the use of psychotherapy and 12 social work credit hours (six of these hours may have been obtained from a BSW program).

Disclaimer: Program outcomes vary according to each institution's specific curriculum, and employment opportunities are not guaranteed.