diff --git a/src/app/project_group/controller/project_group_list_controller.js b/src/app/project_group/controller/project_group_list_controller.js
index 13f52603..90ce571c 100644
--- a/src/app/project_group/controller/project_group_list_controller.js
+++ b/src/app/project_group/controller/project_group_list_controller.js
@@ -25,11 +25,8 @@ angular.module('sb.project_group').controller('ProjectGroupListController',
         // search results must be of type "ProjectGroup"
         $scope.resourceTypes = ['ProjectGroup'];
 
-        // Projects have no default criteria
-        $scope.defaultCriteria = [];
-
         var params = $location.search();
-        SearchHelper.parseParameters(params, $scope.defaultCriteria);
+        $scope.defaultCriteria = SearchHelper.parseParameters(params);
 
         /**
          * Create a new project-group.
diff --git a/src/app/projects/controller/project_list_controller.js b/src/app/projects/controller/project_list_controller.js
index d0fb94cd..8b0cee90 100644
--- a/src/app/projects/controller/project_list_controller.js
+++ b/src/app/projects/controller/project_list_controller.js
@@ -30,11 +30,8 @@ angular.module('sb.projects').controller('ProjectListController',
         // search results must be of type "project"
         $scope.resourceTypes = ['Project'];
 
-        // Projects have no default criteria
-        $scope.defaultCriteria = [];
-
         var params = $location.search();
-        SearchHelper.parseParameters(params, $scope.defaultCriteria);
+        $scope.defaultCriteria = SearchHelper.parseParameters(params);
 
         /**
          * Launches the add-project modal.
diff --git a/src/app/search/controller/search_controller.js b/src/app/search/controller/search_controller.js
index 86108ed6..3e74db5d 100644
--- a/src/app/search/controller/search_controller.js
+++ b/src/app/search/controller/search_controller.js
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ angular.module('sb.search').controller('SearchController',
          *
          * @type {Array}
          */
-        $scope.defaultCriteria = [];
+        var params = $location.search();
+        $scope.defaultCriteria = SearchHelper.parseParameters(params);
 
         /**
          * List of resource types which this view will be searching on.
@@ -35,11 +36,5 @@ angular.module('sb.search').controller('SearchController',
          */
         $scope.resourceTypes = ['TaskStatus', 'Story', 'Project', 'User',
             'Task', 'ProjectGroup', 'Board', 'Worklist'];
-
-        /**
-         * If a 'q' exists in the state params, go ahead and add it.
-         */
-        var params = $location.search();
-        SearchHelper.parseParameters(params, $scope.defaultCriteria);
     }
 );
diff --git a/src/app/search/controller/search_criteria_controller.js b/src/app/search/controller/search_criteria_controller.js
index 4952e581..8c6240cd 100644
--- a/src/app/search/controller/search_criteria_controller.js
+++ b/src/app/search/controller/search_criteria_controller.js
@@ -46,7 +46,13 @@ angular.module('sb.search').controller('SearchCriteriaController',
          */
         $scope.init = function (types, defaultCriteria) {
             resourceTypes = types || $scope.resourceTypes || resourceTypes;
-            $scope.criteria = defaultCriteria || [];
+            if (!!defaultCriteria) {
+                defaultCriteria.then(function(criteria) {
+                    $scope.criteria = criteria;
+                });
+            } else {
+                $scope.criteria = [];
+            }
             $scope.searchForCriteria =
                 Criteria.buildCriteriaSearch(resourceTypes, 5);
         };
diff --git a/src/app/search/service/search_helper.js b/src/app/search/service/search_helper.js
index 5610bdc0..9bdade1b 100644
--- a/src/app/search/service/search_helper.js
+++ b/src/app/search/service/search_helper.js
@@ -19,13 +19,16 @@
  * A service providing helper functions for search views.
  */
 angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
-    function(User, Project, ProjectGroup, Story, Task, Criteria, $filter) {
+    function(User, Project, ProjectGroup, Story, Task, Criteria,
+             $filter, $q) {
         'use strict';
 
         /**
          * Create search criteria based on some given parameters.
          */
-        function parseParameters(params, criteria) {
+        function parseParameters(params) {
+            var criteria = [];
+            var promises = [];
             if (params.q) {
                 criteria.push(
                     Criteria.create('Text', params.q)
@@ -57,8 +60,10 @@ angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
             }
             if (params.assignee_id || params.creator_id) {
                 var id = params.assignee_id || params.creator_id;
-                User.get({'id': id}).$promise
-                    .then(function(result) {
+                var userPromise = User.get({'id': id}).$promise;
+                promises.push(userPromise);
+
+                userPromise.then(function(result) {
                         criteria.push(
                             Criteria.create('User',
                                             params.assignee_id,
@@ -68,8 +73,11 @@ angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
                 );
             }
             if (params.project_id) {
-                Project.get({'id': params.project_id}).$promise
-                    .then(function(result) {
+                var projectParams = {'id': params.project_id};
+                var projectPromise = Project.get(projectParams).$promise;
+                promises.push(projectPromise);
+
+                projectPromise.then(function(result) {
                         criteria.push(
                             Criteria.create('Project',
                                             params.project_id,
@@ -79,8 +87,11 @@ angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
                 );
             }
             if (params.project_group_id) {
-                ProjectGroup.get({'id': params.project_group_id}).$promise
-                    .then(function(result) {
+                var groupParams = {'id': params.project_group_id};
+                var groupPromise = ProjectGroup.get(groupParams).$promise;
+                promises.push(groupPromise);
+
+                groupPromise.then(function(result) {
                         criteria.push(
                             Criteria.create('ProjectGroup',
                                             params.project_group_id,
@@ -90,8 +101,11 @@ angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
                 );
             }
             if (params.story_id) {
-                Story.get({'id': params.story_id}).$promise
-                    .then(function(result) {
+                var storyParams = {'id': params.story_id};
+                var storyPromise = Story.get(storyParams).$promise;
+                promises.push(storyPromise);
+
+                storyPromise.then(function(result) {
                         criteria.push(
                             Criteria.create('Story',
                                             params.story_id,
@@ -101,8 +115,11 @@ angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
                 );
             }
             if (params.task_id) {
-                Task.get({'id': params.task_id}).$promise
-                    .then(function(result) {
+                var taskParams = {'id': params.task_id};
+                var taskPromise = Task.get(taskParams).$promise;
+                promises.push(taskPromise);
+
+                taskPromise.then(function(result) {
                         criteria.push(
                             Criteria.create('Task',
                                             params.task_id,
@@ -111,6 +128,13 @@ angular.module('sb.search').factory('SearchHelper',
                     }
                 );
             }
+
+            var deferred = $q.defer();
+            $q.all(promises).then(function() {
+                deferred.resolve(criteria);
+            });
+
+            return deferred.promise;
         }
 
         return {
diff --git a/src/app/stories/controller/story_list_controller.js b/src/app/stories/controller/story_list_controller.js
index 90258db5..04eb0d73 100644
--- a/src/app/stories/controller/story_list_controller.js
+++ b/src/app/stories/controller/story_list_controller.js
@@ -27,9 +27,7 @@ angular.module('sb.story').controller('StoryListController',
         $scope.resourceTypes = ['Story'];
 
         // Search result criteria default must be "active"
-        $scope.defaultCriteria = [];
-
-        SearchHelper.parseParameters($stateParams, $scope.defaultCriteria);
+        $scope.defaultCriteria = SearchHelper.parseParameters($stateParams);
 
         /**
          * Creates a new story.