The high professional qualifications provided by a Master imply that the difference between first level and second level Masters is based on the admission requirements for the professional profiles that each Master intends to provide. A first cycle degree is required for first level Masters and a second cycle degree is required for second level Masters.
In addition, first level Masters draw on a large number of degrees and may include basic courses whereas second level Masters, which come after second cycle degrees, cannot start from scratch and require specific second cycle degrees with fundamental admission pre-requisites.
In practice, second level Masters are designed to provide highly professional skills and competence with a focus on the national market , at least wider than the regional one.