About Samuel Merritt University's MSW Program
Samuel Merritt University is located in Oakland, California. The MSW runs 3-year part-time hybrid; advanced standing in length, with online or hybrid options available. The program is in CSWE accreditation candidacy. Its clinical/direct-practice track is "Integrated Health, Behavioral Health, and Medical Social Work," the concentration most relevant to the LCSW path.
A note on accreditation: California's BBS requires your degree to be from a program accredited by CSWE. Samuel Merritt's MSW is currently in CSWE candidacy. Programs that reach CSWE Initial Accreditation while you are enrolled count retroactively — but confirm the program's status and your own eligibility directly with the school and the BBS before enrolling or applying.
- Built within a health-sciences university, the MSW centers on social determinants of health and prepares graduates for medical and behavioral-health social work on interdisciplinary care teams
- Delivered as a three-year part-time hybrid program with three flexible practicum tracks — a traditional semester, a summer block, and an extended 42-week option — totaling 900 field hours
- Admits one fall cohort per year; advanced-standing admission for BSW holders has been offered since the 2024-2025 academic year
Samuel Merritt's MSW is offered in an online or hybrid format, so graduates begin their ASW years from across California. It offers a one-year advanced-standing track for recent BSW graduates, who reach ASW registration sooner. Students aiming for the LCSW most often pursue the "Integrated Health, Behavioral Health, and Medical Social Work" concentration, the clearest clinical, direct-practice route within the program.
What Changes After You Graduate from Samuel Merritt
Throughout your MSW, your program's field-education office handled the tracking that mattered. Your supervised placements, learning agreements, and hour logs lived inside whatever field-education platform your program adopted — Sonia, Tevera, IPT, GoReact, or a proprietary system — because CSWE accreditation, not the BBS, governed your field education. That system existed to satisfy your program and your accreditor, and it did its job.
Once your degree is conferred and you register as an Associate Clinical Social Worker, a different rulebook takes over. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) now defines what counts, how it's categorized, and how it must be documented. From that day forward you are responsible for:
- Post-degree hours only — the supervised-experience clock starts at ASW registration, not before.
- The BBS A/B/C categories — hours logged and totaled the way the BBS defines them, not the way your field platform did.
- The 750-hour psychotherapy sub-minimum — face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy, tracked within your clinical total.
- The 1,700-hour / 13-week LCSW-supervisor rule — a specific portion of your supervision must come from a licensed LCSW.
- The 104-week / 52-week minimums — at least 104 weeks of supervised experience, including at least 52 weeks of individual or triadic supervision.
- The official BBS forms — the ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours and, at the end, the LCSW In-State Experience Verification.
Your MSW field hours do not count toward your LCSW. The field-practicum hours you earned during your MSW do not count toward the BBS 3,000-hour requirement — that clock begins only when you register as an ASW. That's not a setback: your MSW is exactly the degree the BBS requires, and it's what qualifies you to register and start earning countable hours.
Your BBS Licensure Path: LCSW
For Samuel Merritt graduates, California's LCSW pathway is built entirely on post-degree experience — none of it overlaps the field hours you completed during your MSW. After you register as an ASW, you'll accrue 3,000 supervised hours over a minimum of 104 weeks. Of those 3,000, at least 2,000 must be clinical psychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment — and within that clinical work, at least 750 hours must be face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy. Non-clinical hours (case management, documentation, program development) are capped at 1,000. You'll also need at least 52 of your 104 weeks to include individual or triadic supervision.
One requirement is distinctive to clinical social work: at least 1,700 of your 3,000 hours, spread across at least 13 weeks, must be supervised by a licensed LCSW. The remainder may be supervised by other BBS-qualified licensees under the Board's rules, but the LCSW-supervised portion is non-negotiable — so confirm your supervision plan early. For a full breakdown, see How to Track LCSW Hours in California.
HourJourney for Samuel Merritt MSW Graduates
HourJourney is built for the California associate phase — the exact phase Samuel Merritt MSW graduates enter after registering as an ASW. Every BBS requirement is baked in: A/B/C categorization with auto-calculated Column C, the 750-hour psychotherapy sub-minimum, the 1,700-hour / 13-week LCSW-supervisor rule, 104-week and 52-week supervision tracking, and one-click generation of the ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours and the LCSW In-State Experience Verification.
As an ASW you're an associate from day one, so it's $7.95/month (or $79/year) — there's no separate pre-degree tier, because clinical social work has no pre-degree phase. 30-day free trial.
Built for the Samuel Merritt-to-LCSW journey
Track every BBS-countable hour from your first ASW week through your LCSW licensure application.
Start Your Free 30-Day TrialFAQ: Samuel Merritt MSW Graduates & LCSW Licensure
Do my Samuel Merritt MSW field-practicum hours count toward my LCSW hours?+
No. None of the field-practicum hours you earned in your Samuel Merritt MSW count toward the BBS 3,000-hour requirement. All 3,000 supervised hours are post-degree and can only be accrued after you register as an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW). Your Samuel Merritt field education satisfied your degree and CSWE accreditation — a separate purpose from BBS licensure.
What is the California LCSW pathway for Samuel Merritt MSW graduates?+
Once your Samuel Merritt MSW is conferred, you register with the BBS as an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW). You then accrue 3,000 supervised hours of post-degree experience over at least 104 weeks, meeting the clinical, psychotherapy, and supervision requirements along the way. Once your hours are complete and verified, you sit for the ASWB Clinical Examination, and on passing you apply for your LCSW license.
How long does the post-MSW LCSW phase take for a Samuel Merritt grad?+
For most Samuel Merritt graduates it takes about two to four years. The 3,000 hours alone can sometimes be reached faster, but the 104-week minimum often becomes the real pacing constraint — you cannot complete the experience requirement in fewer than 104 weeks no matter how many hours you log per week. Your actual timeline depends on your weekly hours and your supervision schedule.
Who can supervise my ASW hours after Samuel Merritt?+
As a Samuel Merritt graduate, at least 1,700 of your 3,000 hours, across at least 13 weeks, must be supervised by a licensed LCSW. The remaining hours may be supervised by other BBS-qualified licensees in accordance with the Board's rules. Because the LCSW-supervised portion is required, it's smart to confirm your supervisor's license and your supervision plan before you begin logging hours.
What tool should I use to track hours as a Samuel Merritt associate?+
Use a tracker built specifically for BBS rules — one that enforces the A/B/C hour categories, watches the 750-hour psychotherapy sub-minimum and the 1,700-hour / 13-week LCSW-supervisor requirement, and generates the ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours and the LCSW In-State Experience Verification for you. HourJourney is purpose-built for the years right after Samuel Merritt.
Related guides
ASW to LCSW in California
The full post-MSW pathway: registration, hours, supervision, and exams.
How to Track LCSW Hours in California
A/B/C categories, the 750-hour psychotherapy minimum, and the LCSW-supervisor rule.
Who Can Supervise an ASW in California
The 1,700-hour / 13-week LCSW-supervisor requirement, explained.
The ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours
What the BBS weekly log captures and how to keep it audit-ready.
Samuel Merritt University is referenced here for informational purposes. HourJourney is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Samuel Merritt University or CalSWEC. Tevera is a registered trademark of its respective owner; HourJourney is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tevera. BBS requirements reflect guidance current as of 2025–2026. Always verify at bbs.ca.gov. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Last verified: 2026-06-03.