Social work policy dictates that anyone who wishes to work in this field have fulfilled certain requirements. The first is that they have a four year bachelor’s degree. This is usually with a major in social work, but there are other possibilities which will suffice for an entry level position. Once a person has started to work in their new career, the more important aspects of the qualifications will begin to take shape. Each state has its own set of requirements for a social worker to get their license to practice. In general the main requirement is a specific number of hours that have been worked in the field under a licensed social worker’s supervision. There are other minor requirements but they are easily satisfied. But the hours worked is always the biggest hurdle. This usually translates into two years of full time work with supervision. The total number of hours can be as high as three thousand.