School Licensure

School Social Work is a specialized area of practice within the broad field of the social work profession.

School social workers apply their professional training in schools in order to support student success. Through specialized school social work programs that strengthen the home/school/community partnership and address barriers to student learning, school social workers serve as catalysts in promoting student wellbeing and successful completion of school.

In order to be a certified school social worker in North Carolina, one has to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program with additional specialized preparation in school social work.

Within these school social work education programs, several standards are studied such as the foundations of school social work practice, assessment and evaluation, cultural diversity, consultative and collaborative relationships and understanding of the role of advocacy and facilitation. Also required are intervention strategies to support student development, discernment of statutes and case law and completion of a school social work internship.

NOTE: The school social work course without employment as a school social worker or before completion of a school social work field placement will not meet the guidelines for the NCDPI School Social Work License.

Our program offers the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction approved School Social Work course in the fall semester for both Graduate Level “M” and Undergraduate Level “A”.

UNCW degree programs satisfy the professional licensure and/or certification requirements in North Carolina and prepare students to sit for applicable exams. However, requirements in other states may be different.

If you are considering a degree program that in order to qualify for a professional license and/or certification, please note that at this time UNCW may or may not be able to advise whether the program meets requirements outside of North Carolina. Prior to enrolling, please discuss this important topic with your program of interest.

Lori Dugan, Assistant Coordinator of MSW Field Education

duganl@uncw.edu
(910) 962-7416

Students interested in pursuing this School Social Work License should discuss the program with Lori Dugan, who serves as the faculty liaison to NC-DPI.