Professional Licensure for Social Work

The UCCS Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work are both accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation.

Accreditation of a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process.  An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals, and the Commission on Accreditation has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. 

Accreditation applies to all program sites and program delivery methods of an accredited program.  Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.

For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact Accreditation.

Degrees from programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) meet the requirements for licensure in all U.S. states and territories that license social workers. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is the association of boards that regulates social work and serves as a resource for students who have questions about licensing. Since the social work licenses that are available differ by jurisdiction along with requirements beyond a CSWE-accredited social work degree (e.g., board examinations, supervised practice hours, jurisprudence testing), the ASWB offers a tool that allows you to compare Social Work Licensure Requirements for all of the jurisdictions in the United States, the US protectorates, and in Canada.

As CSWE-accredited programs, the UCCS BSW and MSW programs meet the educational requirements for all social work licensure options that are available in all U.S. states and applicable territories. 

For inquiries related to UCCS social work program and licensing, please contact sara@uccs.edu. 

Students who graduate from the UCCS MSW program meet the educational requirements for social work licensure in Colorado. There is no Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)-level licensing in the state of Colorado. Licensure requirements for Colorado social workers are further detailed on the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners’ webpage. The Colorado National Association of Social Workers also has excellent information on their SWC, LSW, & LCSW Licensure webpage. You may contact the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners with questions directly at (303) 894-7800 and/or dora_mentalhealthboard@state.co.us.

While most locations have both BSW-level and MSW-level licensure, not all jurisdictions require licensure at the BSW level. Below, the designations of (MSW only - No BSW licensure) indicates jurisdictions where licensure is available only at the master’s level. Designations of (BSW and MSW) indicates jurisdictions that offer licensure at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Several U.S. territories do not currently offer social work licensure and are designated "no licensure" accordingly. As CSWE-accredited programs, the UCCS BSW and MSW programs meet the educational requirements for all available licensure options.