The University of Wisconsin has some of the country’s top doctorate programs across a broad variety of subjects according to a new report from the National Research Council.

Out of the 78 doctorate programs the NRC rated at UW, 23 of the programs were in the top 15 percent of their field of study.

Three of UW’s programs which were rated in the top 15 percent included forestry, French and economics.

Dean of the Graduate School Martin Cadwallader said he was pleased but was not surprised by how well UW’s doctorate programs ranked. He added we did well the last time these rankings were done.

Cadwallader said he was also happy UW did so well in such a broad range of fields.

“We have always tried to have a diversified portfolio, and have strength in all parts,” Cadwallader said. “You will find in a lot of other universities programs are concentrated in certain areas, and then some, they are not so strong.”

The NRC assessment includes 212 universities from across the country and looked at over 5,000 doctorate programs, according to a statement from the NRC.

The high rankings for UW’s doctorate programs could help improve not only student enrollment but the quality of the programs as well.

Cadwallader said when students are picking graduate programs they do a lot of digging, and this could not only bring in students on the national level but also international students.

“It’s really important for us to have the best graduate students because it means we will attract the best faculty, it’s a symbiotic relationship between the two,” Cadwallader said.

The NRC study also found the number of doctorate students is increasing in engineering 4 percent, and physical sciences 9 percent, but fell significantly in the social sciences, which dropped 5 percent, and humanities, which fell 12 percent.

Cadwallader said UW has seen a general increase in interest in programs across the board from both undergraduates going straight to graduate schools and people who are coming back to school after being in the work force.

He added one factor in the increased interest is the economy, which has caused people to think about going back to school to get their doctorate degrees.