Mandatory Professional Licensure Disclosure

New York State prides itself on the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. State University of New York's (SUNY) academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements. This is a role SUNY plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, this disclosure will help you check to see what that state requires.

Per U.S. Federal Regulations, §668.43 (2019 Rule), and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) Manual version 19.2, SUNY provides the following disclosure related to the educational requirements for professional social work licensure and certification. [1]

This Disclosure is strictly limited to the SUNY’s determination of whether its educational program, Master of Social Work, if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure or certification requirements in a state for advanced social work practice. [2] SUNY cannot verify an individual’s ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards and are fact-specific determinations.

This disclosure does not provide any guarantee that any particular state licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application. Furthermore, this disclosure does not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure and occur after this disclosure has been made. 

1. University at Buffalo (UB) School of Social Work has designed an educational program curriculum for a Master of Social Work, if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for an advanced social work practice license in New York State through the NYS Education Department, Office of Professions. 
2. UB School of Social Work has designed an educational program curriculum for a Master of Social Work and currently has made no determination that the curriculum is insufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for advanced social work practice in any of the 50 states and territories. 
3. After making all reasonable efforts, UB School of Social Work cannot determine [3] whether its educational program curriculum for a Master of Social Work, if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for advanced social work practice in the states and territories other than the one(s) identified in the table under the bullet point number 1.  
   1. To view or compare social work licensure requirements regulated in one or more jurisdictions within the United States and its territories and Canada, please visit the Social Work Regulation webpage within the ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) website. 
   2. For any states or territories that are not currently included in the ASWB’s website, please contact the ASWB representative indicated on their website for additional information that they may have.
4. Enrolled students and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact their State’s licensure entity using the web links provided to review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by their state(s) of choice. 

Footnotes

[1] The terms related to advanced social work practice, including licensure and certification, among others, vary by state and each state may use different terms. 

[2] This determination is based on the educational and curricular requirements of each state for licensure (i.e., excluding any special, temporary licensure that may be granted) and does not imply that other requirements for licensure do not exist or have been determined to have been met by this program or that any necessary approvals for clinical placements have been secured at the time of enrollment. An unencumbered social work license in the state of intended practice is a requirement of entry and continuation in the program. Each student should verify their particular situation with their intended state’s licensing entity. 

[3] This does not mean the educational program will not ultimately be approved by the state entity, or that licensure could not result from attending this program.