diff --git a/platform/commonUI/browse/bundle.js b/platform/commonUI/browse/bundle.js
index 74c4059cab..a66285f572 100644
--- a/platform/commonUI/browse/bundle.js
+++ b/platform/commonUI/browse/bundle.js
@@ -92,6 +92,13 @@ define([
                     "reloadOnSearch": false
                 }
             ],
+            "constants": [
+                {
+                    "key": "DEFAULT_PATH",
+                    "value": "mine",
+                    "priority": "fallback"
+                }
+            ],
             "controllers": [
                 {
                     "key": "BrowseController",
@@ -103,7 +110,8 @@ define([
                         "$q",
                         "objectService",
                         "navigationService",
-                        "urlService"
+                        "urlService",
+                        "DEFAULT_PATH"
                     ]
                 },
                 {
diff --git a/platform/commonUI/browse/src/BrowseController.js b/platform/commonUI/browse/src/BrowseController.js
index e574c7a77a..d1d5aa92cc 100644
--- a/platform/commonUI/browse/src/BrowseController.js
+++ b/platform/commonUI/browse/src/BrowseController.js
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ define(
         "use strict";
 
         var ROOT_ID = "ROOT",
-            DEFAULT_PATH = "mine",
             CONFIRM_MSG = "Unsaved changes will be lost if you leave this page.";
 
         /**
@@ -47,9 +46,18 @@ define(
          * @memberof platform/commonUI/browse
          * @constructor
          */
-        function BrowseController($scope, $route, $location, $q, objectService, navigationService, urlService) {
+        function BrowseController(
+            $scope,
+            $route,
+            $location,
+            $q,
+            objectService,
+            navigationService,
+            urlService,
+            defaultPath
+        ) {
             var path = [ROOT_ID].concat(
-                ($route.current.params.ids || DEFAULT_PATH).split("/")
+                ($route.current.params.ids || defaultPath).split("/")
             );
 
             function isDirty(){
@@ -143,6 +151,12 @@ define(
                             } else {
                                 doNavigate(nextObject, index + 1);
                             }
+                        } else if (index === 1 && c.length > 0) {
+                            // Roots are in a top-level container that we don't
+                            // want to be selected, so if we couldn't find an
+                            // object at the path we wanted, at least select
+                            // one of its children.
+                            navigateTo(c[c.length - 1]);
                         } else {
                             // Couldn't find the next element of the path
                             // so navigate to the last path object we did find
diff --git a/platform/commonUI/browse/test/BrowseControllerSpec.js b/platform/commonUI/browse/test/BrowseControllerSpec.js
index 582993e5a7..e4fad10544 100644
--- a/platform/commonUI/browse/test/BrowseControllerSpec.js
+++ b/platform/commonUI/browse/test/BrowseControllerSpec.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ define(
                 mockUrlService,
                 mockDomainObject,
                 mockNextObject,
+                testDefaultRoot,
                 controller;
 
             function mockPromise(value) {
@@ -50,7 +51,21 @@ define(
                 };
             }
 
+            function instantiateController() {
+                controller = new BrowseController(
+                    mockScope,
+                    mockRoute,
+                    mockLocation,
+                    mockObjectService,
+                    mockNavigationService,
+                    mockUrlService,
+                    testDefaultRoot
+                );
+            }
+
             beforeEach(function () {
+                testDefaultRoot = "some-root-level-domain-object";
+
                 mockScope = jasmine.createSpyObj(
                     "$scope",
                     [ "$on", "$watch" ]
@@ -101,41 +116,28 @@ define(
                 ]));
                 mockNextObject.useCapability.andReturn(undefined);
                 mockNextObject.getId.andReturn("next");
-                mockDomainObject.getId.andReturn("mine");
+                mockDomainObject.getId.andReturn(testDefaultRoot);
 
-                controller = new BrowseController(
-                    mockScope,
-                    mockRoute,
-                    mockLocation,
-                    mockObjectService,
-                    mockNavigationService,
-                    mockUrlService
-                );
+                instantiateController();
             });
 
             it("uses composition to set the navigated object, if there is none", function () {
-                controller = new BrowseController(
-                    mockScope,
-                    mockRoute,
-                    mockLocation,
-                    mockObjectService,
-                    mockNavigationService,
-                    mockUrlService
-                );
+                instantiateController();
+                expect(mockNavigationService.setNavigation)
+                    .toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockDomainObject);
+            });
+
+            it("navigates to a root-level object, even when default path is not found", function () {
+                mockDomainObject.getId
+                    .andReturn("something-other-than-the-" + testDefaultRoot);
+                instantiateController();
                 expect(mockNavigationService.setNavigation)
                     .toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockDomainObject);
             });
 
             it("does not try to override navigation", function () {
                 mockNavigationService.getNavigation.andReturn(mockDomainObject);
-                controller = new BrowseController(
-                    mockScope,
-                    mockRoute,
-                    mockLocation,
-                    mockObjectService,
-                    mockNavigationService,
-                    mockUrlService
-                );
+                instantiateController();
                 expect(mockScope.navigatedObject).toBe(mockDomainObject);
             });
 
@@ -162,14 +164,8 @@ define(
             });
 
             it("uses route parameters to choose initially-navigated object", function () {
-                mockRoute.current.params.ids = "mine/next";
-                controller = new BrowseController(
-                    mockScope,
-                    mockRoute,
-                    mockLocation,
-                    mockObjectService,
-                    mockNavigationService
-                );
+                mockRoute.current.params.ids = testDefaultRoot + "/next";
+                instantiateController();
                 expect(mockScope.navigatedObject).toBe(mockNextObject);
                 expect(mockNavigationService.setNavigation)
                     .toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockNextObject);
@@ -179,14 +175,8 @@ define(
                 // Idea here is that if we get a bad path of IDs,
                 // browse controller should traverse down it until
                 // it hits an invalid ID.
-                mockRoute.current.params.ids = "mine/junk";
-                controller = new BrowseController(
-                    mockScope,
-                    mockRoute,
-                    mockLocation,
-                    mockObjectService,
-                    mockNavigationService
-                );
+                mockRoute.current.params.ids = testDefaultRoot + "/junk";
+                instantiateController();
                 expect(mockScope.navigatedObject).toBe(mockDomainObject);
                 expect(mockNavigationService.setNavigation)
                     .toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockDomainObject);
@@ -196,14 +186,8 @@ define(
                 // Idea here is that if we get a path which passes
                 // through an object without a composition, browse controller
                 // should stop at it since remaining IDs cannot be loaded.
-                mockRoute.current.params.ids = "mine/next/junk";
-                controller = new BrowseController(
-                    mockScope,
-                    mockRoute,
-                    mockLocation,
-                    mockObjectService,
-                    mockNavigationService
-                );
+                mockRoute.current.params.ids = testDefaultRoot + "/next/junk";
+                instantiateController();
                 expect(mockScope.navigatedObject).toBe(mockNextObject);
                 expect(mockNavigationService.setNavigation)
                     .toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockNextObject);