Alaska LBSW Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensure as a Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW) in Alaska is governed by the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners under AS 08.95 and 12 AAC 18. The state recognizes two main routes to the LBSW license:

• License by Examination (for new graduates / first-time licensees in any state)
• License by Credentials (for social workers already licensed in another jurisdiction)

A temporary LBSW license can be issued under either route while you complete the full process.

A key point: for an LBSW obtained by examination, Alaska does not require any specified number of supervised or direct client hours beyond completing your BSW program and passing the exam. The only numeric hour requirement that applies to LBSW is for licensure by credentials (1,500 hours of work experience, explained below).

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1. Statutory definition of the LBSW license

Under Alaska Statute 08.95.110(c), the Board must issue a license authorizing use of the title “baccalaureate social worker” to a person who:

1. Meets certain general requirements shared with other levels (good moral character, in good professional standing, acceptable professional references, and payment of fees);
2. “Has received a bachelor’s degree in social work from a college or university approved by the board”; and
3. “Has satisfactorily completed the examination given by the board for baccalaureate social worker licensing.” (naswak.socialworkers.org)

No additional supervised or clinical hours are specified for baccalaureate licensure in the statute itself.

The NASW Alaska summary of state law confirms this, stating that a Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker “holds a Bachelor’s of Social Work (BSW) and has passed an exam and met other requirements for licensure. No additional experience is required” for LBSW. (naswak.socialworkers.org)

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2. Route A – LBSW License by Examination (in-state / first license)

This is the route most BSW graduates will use.

Core eligibility

To be licensed as an LBSW by examination, you must:

1. Hold a BSW in social work

   • A “bachelor’s degree in social work from a college or university approved by the board.” (naswak.socialworkers.org)
   • The Board’s application instructions require “certified official transcripts of a baccalaureate degree in social work” sent directly from the institution. (commerce.alaska.gov)

2. Meet character and fitness requirements
   Under AS 08.95.110(a)(3)–(5), incorporated by reference for LBSWs, you must: (naswak.socialworkers.org)

   • Be “of good moral character.”
   • Be “in good professional standing and fit to practice social work,” as determined by the Board.
   • Provide three professional references acceptable to the Board, including:
     • If previously employed in social work: a reference from a former employer; and
     • If currently employed in social work: a reference from your current employer;
     • Plus a third reference from a professional in one of several listed disciplines.

   The LBSW-by-exam instructions restate this in practical form: three professional references from current and previous employer supervisors (where applicable) and one from a specified professional (MSW/DSW, licensed psychologist/psychiatrist, certain nurses, MFT, or LPC). (commerce.alaska.gov)

3. Pass the required national exam

   Alaska uses the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exams. By regulation:

   • The exam required for licensure as a baccalaureate social worker is the ASWB Basic (bachelor’s) examination. (naswak.socialworkers.org)
   • You must achieve at least the ASWB minimum passing scaled score. (naswak.socialworkers.org)

   The Board’s instructions explain that, once your application is approved, you will be directed to register with ASWB and pay their separate examination fee. (commerce.alaska.gov)

4. Submit a complete application and pay fees

   As of the most recent instructions (Rev. 12/06/2024), the LBSW-by-exam application requires: (commerce.alaska.gov)

   • Completed application form #08-4872 (pages 1–4)
   • Application fee: $100 (nonrefundable)
   • Initial license fee: $225
   • Total due with initial application: $325
   • Three professional references on the Board’s reference form
   • Any required professional fitness explanations and court/disciplinary documentation
   • Social Security number (or approved exemption) per AS 08.01.060

5. Background / professional history review

   The Board’s general information section notes that it evaluates education, training, employment or work history, malpractice history, and any criminal or disciplinary history as part of licensure screening. (commerce.alaska.gov)

Hours required for LBSW by Examination

For this route, there is no requirement in statute, regulation, or the current application instructions for any specific number of post-degree supervised hours or direct client-contact hours.

All numerical hour requirements in Alaska’s licensure law are tied to:

• Clinical licensure (LCSW) – which requires two years of continuous full-time employment or at least 3,000 hours of postgraduate clinical social work under approved supervision; (naswak.socialworkers.org) and
• Licensure by credentials at any level (see below), which uses a 1,500-hour work experience standard for “continued competency.” (naswak.socialworkers.org)

Those hour requirements do not apply to a new LBSW applicant by examination.

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3. Route B – LBSW License by Credentials (already licensed in another state)

This route is designed for social workers who already hold a baccalaureate-level license elsewhere and want an Alaska LBSW.

Core statutory requirements

Under AS 08.95.120(b), the Board shall issue a license to use the title “baccalaureate social worker” to an applicant who: (naswak.socialworkers.org)

1. Holds a current similar license from another jurisdiction whose original licensure requirements were equal to or more stringent than Alaska’s;
2. Is not the subject of an unresolved complaint or disciplinary action;
3. Has not had a social work license revoked, suspended, or surrendered in lieu of discipline in Alaska or another jurisdiction;
4. Has submitted proof of continued competency satisfactory to the Board; and
5. Has paid required fees and provided the required professional references (paralleled in AS 08.95.120(a) and 12 AAC 18.110). (naswak.socialworkers.org)

“Proof of continued competency” and the 1,500-hour requirement

The key hours requirement for an LBSW in Alaska appears only in the continued competency standards used for licensure by credentials.

Under 12 AAC 18.112, proof of continued competency satisfactory to the Board can be shown in one of two ways: (naswak.socialworkers.org)

1. Option 1: Recent exam

   • Successful passage of the appropriate ASWB exam (for baccalaureate level, the Basic exam) within the two years immediately before application; or

2. Option 2: Work hours + CE

   • Verification of completion, within the five years immediately preceding application, of:
     • “1,500 hours of work as a social worker while holding a license similar to that for which application has been made”; and
     • The continuing education requirements specified elsewhere in the regulations (substance abuse, ethics, teletherapy, suicide education, etc.).

The Board’s own LBSW-by-credentials application instructions paraphrase this requirement:

• You must verify “1,500 hours of work as a social worker at the same level within the five years immediately preceding the application” if you are not using the recent-exam option. (commerce.alaska.gov)

Important nuance on the type of hours:

• The regulation describes these as “1,500 hours of work as a social worker” while licensed at a similar level; it does not subdivide them into “direct client contact” versus “indirect” or “supervised” hours, nor does it specify a distribution of activities (unlike the clinical supervision rules for LCSWs). (naswak.socialworkers.org)
• In other words, Alaska’s Board does not break this 1,500-hour requirement into categories such as “direct experience” versus “supervised experience” for LBSW by credentials; the hours are simply work as a social worker at the same level under a valid license.

Additional practical requirements for LBSW by Credentials

According to the Board’s form #08‑4873 instructions: (commerce.alaska.gov)

1. Application & fees

   • Completed application form #08-4873 (pages 1–4)
   • Application fee: $100 (nonrefundable)
   • Initial license fee: $225
   • Total due: $325

2. Verification of licensure

   • Official verification must be sent directly from every jurisdiction in which you currently hold, or have ever held, a social work license.
   • Each verification must state any disciplinary actions taken.

3. Professional references

   • Three professional references, similar to the exam-route requirements:
     • A current employer supervisor (if employed in social work)
     • A previous employer supervisor (if applicable)
     • One additional reference from a qualified professional (MSW/DSW, psychologist or psychiatrist, certain nurses, MFT, or LPC).

4. Continuing education (when using the 1,500-hour proof-of-competency route)

   • You must show 45 hours of continuing education completed within the past five years, including at minimum:
     • 6 contact hours in substance abuse education;
     • 3 contact hours in professional ethics;
     • 3 contact hours in teletherapy practice;
     • 3 contact hours in suicide education. (commerce.alaska.gov)

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4. Temporary LBSW Licenses

Alaska allows temporary baccalaureate social work licenses both for exam-route and credentials-route applicants, under AS 08.95.125 and the Board’s forms. (naswak.socialworkers.org)

Temporary LBSW (for applicants by Examination)

Per the LBSW-by-exam instructions (#08-4872): (commerce.alaska.gov)

• You must first apply for licensure by examination.
• To qualify for a temporary license, you must submit:
  • The same completed application form (attesting that you hold a BSW and are of good moral character).
  • Certified official BSW transcripts.
  • Temporary license fee: $75 (in addition to the $100 application fee; total $175 for the temporary license portion).
• The temporary license:
  • Is valid for one year only;
  • Cannot be renewed;
  • Becomes invalid immediately if the Board rejects the permanent licensure application.

Again, no separate hour requirement is imposed for the temporary LBSW license itself beyond your BSW and the usual application requirements.

Temporary LBSW (for applicants by Credentials)

The LBSW-by-credentials instructions (#08-4873) provide a similar structure: (commerce.alaska.gov)

• You must apply for licensure by credentials and may request a temporary license on the same application.
• Requirements include:
  • Attesting to good moral character;
  • Attesting that you have no unresolved complaints or disciplinary actions and have not had a social work license revoked, suspended, or surrendered;
  • Verification of your current out-of-state license(s).
• Fees:
  • Application + license fee: $325 (includes nonrefundable $100 application portion)
  • Temporary license fee: $75 (optional)
• The temporary license:
  • Is valid for one year only and is nonrenewable;
  • Terminates on the date the Board rejects the permanent licensure application, if that occurs.

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5. Summary of hour requirements for an Alaska LBSW

Putting the pieces together:

• LBSW by Examination (standard route for new BSWs)

  • No post-degree work-hour, supervision-hour, or direct client-contact hour requirement.
  • Requirements focus on BSW degree, character/fitness, references, passing the ASWB Basic exam, and fees. (naswak.socialworkers.org)

• LBSW by Credentials (licensed in another jurisdiction at BSW level)

  • Must hold a current similar license from another jurisdiction with equivalent or more stringent requirements. (naswak.socialworkers.org)
  • Proof of continued competency is required and may be shown either by:
    • Passing the ASWB Basic exam within the last 2 years; or (naswak.socialworkers.org)
    • 1,500 hours of work as a social worker at the same level during the previous 5 years plus 45 hours of CE, including specified hours in substance abuse, ethics, teletherapy, and suicide education. (naswak.socialworkers.org)
  • The 1,500 hours are not broken down into “direct” vs. “indirect” or “supervised” categories in Alaska’s regulations; the phrase used is simply “work as a social worker while holding a license similar to that for which application has been made.” (naswak.socialworkers.org)

• Clinical hours (3,000 supervised hours) are only required for the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credential—not for LBSW or LMSW. (naswak.socialworkers.org)

Overall, if you are entering the profession at the baccalaureate level and applying in Alaska for your first license, your path hinges on your BSW degree, references, exam, and character/fitness, not on accumulating any specified number of supervised or direct-practice hours beyond your academic training. The 1,500‑hour requirement comes into play only if you are seeking licensure by credentials and are using work experience and continuing education to prove ongoing competency instead of a recent exam score.