<p>What exactly is the difference between the two?</p>
<p>Political Science: This field focuses on theory and research in these core subfieids: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Philosophy. At most schools, Public Administration/Public Policy is included under American Politics; at some schools, it an additional subfield. At most schools, Legal Studies (topics such as Constitutional law, Judicial System, Civil Rights, etc) falls under the subfield of American Politics, but a few schools designate it as an additional subfield.</p>
<p>Legal Studies: Some schools offer an interdisciplinary major in Legal Studies that draws on coursework from several fields (e.g., philosophy of law from philosophy; sociology of law, criminology from sociology; constitutional law from political science; psychology & law from psychology; American or British constitutional history from history; etc.) It is not the same as a law degree which is a postgraduate professional degree from a law school. In fact, many law schools discourage potential applicants from majoring in fields such as “legal studies”.</p>