diff --git a/manifests/mod/userdir.pp b/manifests/mod/userdir.pp
index ea6ee193dd..203b93dd11 100644
--- a/manifests/mod/userdir.pp
+++ b/manifests/mod/userdir.pp
@@ -1,14 +1,30 @@
 class apache::mod::userdir (
-  $home = '/home',
-  $dir = 'public_html',
+  $home = undef,
+  $dir = undef,
   $disable_root = true,
   $apache_version = undef,
+  $path = '/home/*/public_html',
   $overrides = [ 'FileInfo', 'AuthConfig', 'Limit', 'Indexes' ],
   $options = [ 'MultiViews', 'Indexes', 'SymLinksIfOwnerMatch', 'IncludesNoExec' ],
 ) {
   include ::apache
   $_apache_version = pick($apache_version, $apache::apache_version)
 
+  if $home or $dir {
+    $_home = $home ? {
+      undef   => '/home',
+      default =>  $home,
+    }
+    $_dir = $dir ? {
+      undef   => 'public_html',
+      default =>  $dir,
+    }
+    warning('home and dir are deprecated; use path instead')
+    $_path = "${_home}/*/${_dir}"
+  } else {
+    $_path = $path
+  }
+
   ::apache::mod { 'userdir': }
 
   # Template uses $home, $dir, $disable_root, $_apache_version
diff --git a/spec/classes/mod/userdir_spec.rb b/spec/classes/mod/userdir_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9f23ba274b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/classes/mod/userdir_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe 'apache::mod::userdir', :type => :class do
+  context "on a Debian OS" do
+    let :pre_condition do
+      'class { "apache":
+         default_mods => false,
+         mod_dir      => "/tmp/junk",
+       }'
+    end
+    let :facts do
+      {
+        :lsbdistcodename           => 'squeeze',
+        :osfamily                  => 'Debian',
+        :operatingsystemrelease    => '6',
+        :operatingsystemmajrelease => '6',
+        :concat_basedir            => '/dne',
+        :operatingsystem           => 'Debian',
+        :id                        => 'root',
+        :kernel                    => 'Linux',
+        :path                      => '/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin',
+        :is_pe                  => false,
+      }
+    end
+    context "default parameters" do
+      it { should compile }
+    end
+    context "with dir set to something" do
+      let :params do
+        {
+          :dir => 'hi',
+        }
+      end
+      it { should contain_file("userdir.conf").with_content(%r{^\s*UserDir\s+/home/\*/hi$})}
+    end
+    context "with home set to something" do
+      let :params do
+        {
+          :home => '/u',
+        }
+      end
+      it { should contain_file("userdir.conf").with_content(%r{^\s*UserDir\s+/u/\*/public_html$})}
+    end
+    context "with path set to something" do
+      let :params do
+        {
+          :path => 'public_html /usr/web http://www.example.com/',
+        }
+      end
+      it { should contain_file("userdir.conf").with_content(%r{^\s*UserDir\s+public_html /usr/web http://www\.example\.com/$})}
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/templates/mod/userdir.conf.erb b/templates/mod/userdir.conf.erb
index c02a9188d6..323a1af1da 100644
--- a/templates/mod/userdir.conf.erb
+++ b/templates/mod/userdir.conf.erb
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 <% if @disable_root -%>
   UserDir disabled root
 <% end -%>
-  UserDir <%= @home %>/*/<%= @dir %>
+  UserDir <%= @_path %>
 
   <Directory "<%= @home %>/*/<%= @dir %>">
     AllowOverride <%= @overrides.join(' ') %>