South-dakota CSW Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

South Dakota regulates social work through the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners under SDCL 36‑26 and Article 20:59 of the Administrative Rules. To practice at the master’s level you become licensed as a Certified Social Worker (CSW). This is distinct from the more advanced Certified Social Worker in Private, Independent Practice (CSW‑PIP), which is the license that carries supervised‑experience requirements.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide focused on the CSW license itself, with notes about hours and supervision where the law actually uses those concepts.

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1. How the South Dakota licenses are structured

The Board issues four main social work licenses: (dss.sd.gov)

• Social Work Associate (SWA) – associate’s or bachelor’s in a non‑social‑work field.
• Social Worker (SW) – BSW from a CSWE‑accredited program.
• Certified Social Worker (CSW) – MSW or social work doctorate.
• Certified Social Worker in Private, Independent Practice (CSW‑PIP) – advanced, independent practice license for those who already hold a CSW and have supervised experience.

Only the CSW‑PIP license in South Dakota involves a defined post‑degree supervision/time requirement. The CSW license itself does not have any post‑graduate hour requirement.

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2. Core requirements for the CSW (Certified Social Worker)

2.1. Education

The Board’s licensing information states that a Certified Social Worker must hold: (dss.sd.gov)

• A master’s or doctoral degree in social work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) (or accepted Canadian equivalent).

The state does not add extra state‑specific coursework beyond what CSWE‑accredited MSW/DSW programs already require.

Important for your hours question:
Any practicum/field hours are those built into your CSWE‑accredited MSW program. The Board does not layer an additional state‑mandated number of clinical or supervised “training” hours on top of the degree for CSW licensure.

2.2. Examination

For CSW, the Board requires you to: (dss.sd.gov)

• Pass the ASWB Master’s exam (the Board describes this as “an examination prepared by the Board” but in practice it is the ASWB master’s‑level exam).
• The Board first approves your application; then you register with ASWB and take the exam at a Pearson VUE testing center.

2.3. Application, documents, and fees

Using the Board’s guidance and standard CSW instructions: (dss.sd.gov)

You will typically submit:

• Completed, notarized application form for CSW licensure.
• Application for Licensure Cover Letter (Board‑specific form).
• Official graduate transcript sent directly from your MSW/DSW program to the Board.
• Three professional references (usually on Board forms; generally from different agencies or professional contexts).
• Application fee (currently listed as $170 for CSW).
• Any additional information the Board requests (e.g., explanations of disciplinary or criminal history, if applicable).

The Board reviews the packet roughly on a quarterly schedule; once your application is approved, you are authorized to sit for the ASWB Master’s exam. After you pass, ASWB sends your score to the Board; the Board then issues the CSW license.

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3. Hours and supervision for the CSW license itself

This is where South Dakota differs from many other states and where your example (e.g., “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience”) does not apply.

3.1. No post‑degree supervised‑experience hour requirement for CSW

Neither SDCL 36‑26 nor Article 20:59, nor the Board’s own licensing page, imposes any numerical, post‑master’s hour requirement (direct, indirect, or supervised) to obtain the CSW credential. The Board’s CSW entry is limited to: (dss.sd.gov)

• A master’s or doctorate in social work from a CSWE‑accredited school; and
• Passing an examination prepared by the Board (ASWB Master’s exam).

Secondary summaries that synthesize the Board’s rules are explicit on this point, stating that for CSW: “There are no field experience requirements for this level of licensure.” (humanservicesedu.org)

So, South Dakota does not have anything like “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience” written into law or rule for the CSW license.

3.2. Where “supervision” appears in the CSW context

The term “supervision” in the South Dakota rules is narrowly defined for two contexts: (regulations.justia.com)

• Supervision of SWA licensees (who must practice under supervision with at least one hour of supervision per week).
• Supervision of CSW‑PIP candidates (see Section 4 below).

The definition in the administrative rules is:

• “Supervision” means overseeing or directing the activities of a social work associate, or a person applying for a license as a CSW‑PIP (Administrative Rules 20:59:01:01(4)).

Notably, the definition does not include people who are applying for the basic CSW license. You simply complete the MSW/DSW, pass the exam, and meet the administrative requirements.

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4. Hours and supervision – only if you pursue CSW‑PIP

Because many people asking about CSW are really aiming for independent/clinical practice, it is useful to spell out where South Dakota does discuss hours and supervision: the CSW‑PIP level.

4.1. Experience requirement for CSW‑PIP

To qualify for CSW‑PIP, the Board’s licensing page requires that you: (dss.sd.gov)

• Be licensed as a Certified Social Worker (CSW) for a minimum of two years under SDCL 36‑26.
• Have “2 years of experience under appropriate supervision in the field of specialization in which the applicant will practice (e.g. psychotherapy, community organization, or planning).”
• Pass the appropriate ASWB clinical‑level exam after the Board approves you.

Note how the rule is framed: “2 years of experience under appropriate supervision” – not a fixed number of hours (such as 3,000 or 4,000).

4.2. How the Board defines time and supervision for CSW‑PIP candidates

The detailed timing and supervision requirements are in Administrative Rule 20:59:05:07. Once a supervision agreement is approved: (regulations.justia.com)

• The supervisor must submit reports to the Board every six months on Board forms.

• The CSW‑PIP candidate “shall work at least thirty hours per week.”

• The reports must document that the supervisor has provided at least four hours of individual supervision per month, subject to:

  • Group supervision or consultation can substitute for individual supervision, but not more than one‑half of the total supervision time in each six‑month period.

  • Part‑time work of at least 18 hours per week can satisfy the requirement under the following schedule:

    Hours worked per week	Number of years of required supervision	Minimum supervision per month
    18–29 hours	4 years	2 hours/month
    30+ hours	2 years	4 hours/month

• When the supervisor is not physically present, they must be available by telecommunications or technology.

• The Board may modify the method and frequency of supervision if it finds supervision, training, and proficiency are adequate.

This is the closest South Dakota comes to specifying “experience requirements” numerically, and it is expressed in years, weekly work hours, and monthly supervision hours, not in total “direct client” or “indirect” hour blocks.

If you want to translate that into approximate totals, a full‑time candidate (30+ hours/week) over two years with four hours supervision per month will commonly accrue on the order of 3,000+ work hours and roughly 100 hours of supervision, but those totals are inferred, not written in the rule. The legally operative language is the schedule above.

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5. Continuing education and renewal for CSW

To maintain a CSW license, the Board requires: (dss.sd.gov)

• 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years for all licensees.
• At least 6 of those hours must be in social work ethics.
• All 30 hours may be obtained via online courses, as long as they are appropriately approved (e.g., by ASWB, NASW, or another state board recognized by South Dakota).

Failure to meet CE requirements can affect renewal; there is a limited waiver option for documented physical incapacity.

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6. Summary focused on your hours question

• For the CSW license in South Dakota, the Board does not require any additional post‑MSW supervised experience hours beyond what is built into your accredited degree.
• The only formal CSW‑related experience requirement in the statutes and administrative rules is for CSW‑PIP, where the Board requires:
  • Two years of appropriately supervised experience in your area of intended practice after becoming a CSW; and
  • A work/supervision pattern defined as:
    • At least 30 hours/week for 2 years with at least 4 hours/month of supervision, or
    • 18–29 hours/week for 4 years with at least 2 hours/month of supervision, with limits on the proportion of group supervision. (regulations.justia.com)

So, unlike some states, South Dakota does not spell out requirements like “1,500 hours of direct experience plus 1,500 hours of supervised experience” for its CSW license. Instead, CSW is an education‑plus‑exam license, and the experience/supervision framework appears only at the CSW‑PIP (independent practice) level, expressed in years, weekly work hours, and minimum monthly supervision.