Mississippi licenses Licensed Social Workers (LSW), Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSW) and Licensed Certified Social Workers (LCSW, its clinical license). The board must approve you before ASWB lets you sit for any level. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. Social Work Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or any state social work board; ASWB is their mark, used here only to name the exam. Laws on confidentiality, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
Mississippi at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LSW (Licensed Social Worker)
Bachelors
A social work bachelor's; full licensure fee $75.
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)
Masters
A CSWE-accredited MSW or social work doctorate.
LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker)
Clinical
Board-approved supervision as an LMSW: 100+ hours over about 24 months (no more than 36), 1,000 face-to-face client hours, four evaluations. Licensure fee $110.
Mississippi, step by step
Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists
Exam approval: ASWB requires the board to verify you before you sit for any level, so you need the board's written approval first. The LSW takes the Bachelors exam and the LMSW the Masters exam.
Supervision contract: as an LMSW in good standing, file the Application to Enter into Contract for Supervision and a Plan of Supervision with an $80 processing fee, choosing from the board's list of approved LCSW supervisors. Supervision may begin only after the board approves it.
LCSW supervision: at least one hour a week of face-to-face supervision for a minimum of 100 hours, within no more than 36 months, at least 25% individual; at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact; and four supervisor evaluations, about one every six months for 24 months, each approved before the next period begins.
LCSW exam and license: after the board approves your fourth evaluation it approves you for the ASWB Clinical exam. Then apply through the portal with a fingerprint card, passport-type photo, three professional references and the $110 licensure fee.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a CSWE-accredited degree, your board's approval (or ASWB's, in a few states), the ASWB exam at the level your license needs, then the license. Every ASWB level has 122 questions (110 scored) in 4 hours; Bachelors and Masters cost $230, Advanced Generalist and Clinical $260, and you wait at least 90 days to retake (ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026). A passing score counts in every state for the same exam level. The full walk-through: How to get your social work license.