The 3,000 hours get the attention, but they are not the only gate between you and a California license. The BBS also requires specific coursework beyond your degree, and it expects each item satisfied before you submit your Application for Licensure.

The list depends on your pathway. LMFT and LPCC applicants have a short one. LCSW applicants have a long one, including two items that depend on when they entered their MSW program. All of it is easier to handle two years before you apply than two weeks before.

The two courses every pathway shares

Whichever license you are pursuing, two requirements apply across the board.

Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention (6 hours)

Required on all three pathways. The statute differs by discipline (BPC 4996.27 for LCSW, BPC 4980.396 for LMFT, BPC 4999.33 for LPCC), but the requirement is the same: six hours covering suicide risk assessment and intervention.

Provision of Mental Health Services via Telehealth (3 hours)

Added by AB 1759 (2023) and required for applications received on or after July 1, 2023. Three hours covering telehealth practice, including telehealth law and ethics.

For LMFT and LPCC applicants, that is the complete list.

The LCSW list is longer

The LCSW pathway adds three more requirements for everyone:

Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting, 7 hours (BPC 28; 16 CCR 1807.2)
Human Sexuality, 10 hours (16 CCR 1807)
Alcoholism and Other Chemical Substance Abuse, 15 hours (16 CCR 1807.3)

Two more depend on when you entered your MSW program:

Aging, Long-Term Care, and Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse, 10 hours (BPC 4996.25), applies if you entered your MSW program on or after January 1, 2004
Spousal/Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection, and Intervention (BPC 4996.2(f)), where the 15-hour count applies if you entered your MSW program on or after January 1, 2004

Added up, an LCSW applicant who entered an MSW program after 2004 is accounting for more than 60 hours of required coursework beyond the degree itself.

When your degree already covers it

The 2021 degree nuance

Degrees granted by California schools on or after January 1, 2021 generally embed this coursework in the curriculum. The BBS still expects you to confirm coverage rather than assume it. Graduates of out-of-state programs usually need to backfill at least part of the list.

"Generally embedded" is not the same as "documented and done." A course can cover a required topic without meeting the hour count, and a program can cover most of the list while missing one item. The only way to know is to check your own transcript against your pathway's requirements.

How to audit your transcript

Map each requirement to a course

Pull your transcript and, where you can, the syllabi. Match every required topic and hour count to a specific course. Course titles alone can mislead, so verify that the hours behind each one actually meet the threshold.

Backfill the gaps now

If a topic is missing or the hours fall short, complete the coursework while your supervised hours accumulate. A three-hour telehealth course scheduled this month is a minor errand. The same course discovered missing in application week is a delay.

Keep every certificate

Completion certificates and transcripts are your proof of coverage. Store them in one place you can produce at application time, alongside your hour logs and supervision records.

Coursework is one of several requirements that converge when you file. For how the pieces fit together, see the BBS application timeline.

Key takeaway

The coursework list is short for LMFT and LPCC applicants and long for LCSW applicants, and none of it is optional. Audit your transcript against your pathway's list early, backfill what your degree missed, and keep every certificate. Application week is for assembling proof, not discovering gaps.