(a) A license as a “licensed social worker” shall be issued to an applicant who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the board that he or she meets the following qualifications:

(i) Has a baccalaureate degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and has satisfactorily completed the Association for Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination for this license; or

(ii) Has a comparable license or registration from another state or territory of the United States of America that imposes qualifications substantially similar to those of this chapter.

(b) A license as a “licensed master’s social worker” shall be issued to an applicant who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the board that he or she meets the following qualifications:

(i) Has a doctorate or master’s degree from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and

(ii) Has satisfactorily completed the ASWB examination for this license; or

(iii) Has a comparable license or registration from another state or territory of the United States of America that imposes qualifications substantially similar to those of this chapter.

(c) A license as a “licensed certified social worker” shall be issued to an applicant who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the board that he or she meets the following qualifications:

(i) Is licensed under this section as a “master’s social worker”; and

(ii) Has twenty-four (24) months of professional supervision and clinical or macro social work practice experience acceptable to the board, under appropriate supervision; and

(iii) Has satisfactorily completed the ASWB examination for this license; or

(iv) Has a comparable license or registration from another state or territory of the United States of America that imposes qualifications substantially similar to those of this chapter.

(d) In addition to the above qualifications, an applicant for any of the above licenses must prove to the board’s satisfaction:

(i) Age of at least twenty-one (21) years, and

(ii) Good moral character, which is a continuing requirement for licensure, and

(iii) United States of America citizenship or status as a legal resident alien, and

(iv) Absence of conviction of a felony related to the practice of social work for the last ten (10) years. Conviction, as used in this subparagraph, includes a deferred conviction, deferred prosecution, deferred sentence, finding or verdict of guilt, an admission of guilty, or a plea of nolo contendere, and

(v) That the applicant has not been declared mentally incompetent by any court, and if any such decree has ever been rendered, that the decree has since been changed, and

(vi) Freedom from dependency on alcohol or drugs, and

(vii) Complete criminal history records check, including a fingerprint and an acceptable sex offender check, by appropriate governmental authorities as prescribed by the board.

(e) Only individuals licensed as “certified social workers” shall be permitted to call themselves “clinical social workers.”