Missouri licenses baccalaureate (LBSW), master (LMSW), advanced macro (LAMSW) and clinical (LCSW) social workers through the State Committee for Social Workers, and uses all four ASWB exams. 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.
Missouri at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker)
Bachelors
A CSWE-accredited BSW; exam no earlier than your final semester.
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)
Masters
A CSWE-accredited MSW; exam no earlier than your final semester.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in 24 to 48 consecutive months; exam after 2,250 hours and 18 months.
LAMSW (Licensed Advanced Macro Social Worker)
Advanced Generalist
3,000 hours of supervised advanced macro experience in 24 to 48 months.
Missouri, step by step
Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration)
Every application: official transcripts sent by the school, proof of 2 hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment and management training taken in the two years before you apply, fingerprints through the Missouri State Highway Patrol's vendor (state and FBI check), and ASWB scores sent directly by ASWB. An application left incomplete for a year is voided.
LBSW and LMSW exams: the ASWB Bachelors (LBSW) or Masters (LMSW) exam, taken no earlier than your final semester, with a letter from your CSWE-accredited program that you are on track to graduate.
LCSW experience (RSMo 337.615): at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience with a qualified clinical supervisor in no less than 24 and no more than 48 consecutive months. Supervision is at least 2 hours every two weeks of individual face-to-face time (or 4 hours per four-week period), and up to half can be group. Register each supervisor and setting with the committee ($25 to change).
LCSW exam: the ASWB Clinical exam, which you may not take until you have at least 2,250 hours and 18 months of the supervised experience. LMSWs working in clinical settings stay under LCSW supervision until licensed.
LAMSW: 3,000 hours of supervised advanced macro experience in 24 to 48 months and the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam (also after 2,250 hours and 18 months).
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.