diff --git a/server/controllers/project.controller/__test__/getProjectsForUser.test.js b/server/controllers/project.controller/__test__/getProjectsForUser.test.js
index 121a2184fd..0160cb1477 100644
--- a/server/controllers/project.controller/__test__/getProjectsForUser.test.js
+++ b/server/controllers/project.controller/__test__/getProjectsForUser.test.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
   });
 
   describe('getProjectsForUser()', () => {
-    it('returns empty array user not supplied as parameter', (done) => {
+    it('returns validation error if username not provided', (done) => {
       const request = new Request();
       request.setParams({});
       const response = new Response();
@@ -31,8 +31,10 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
       const promise = getProjectsForUser(request, response);
 
       function expectations() {
-        expect(response.status).toHaveBeenCalledWith(200);
-        expect(response.json).toHaveBeenCalledWith([]);
+        expect(response.status).toHaveBeenCalledWith(422);
+        expect(response.json).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          message: 'Username not provided'
+        });
 
         done();
       }
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
 
       UserMock.expects('findOne')
         .withArgs({ username: 'abc123' })
-        .yields(null, null);
+        .resolves(null);
 
       const promise = getProjectsForUser(request, response);
 
@@ -70,15 +72,15 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
 
       UserMock.expects('findOne')
         .withArgs({ username: 'abc123' })
-        .yields(new Error(), null);
+        .rejects(new Error());
 
       const promise = getProjectsForUser(request, response);
 
       function expectations() {
-        expect(response.status).toHaveBeenCalledWith(500);
         expect(response.json).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
           message: 'Error fetching projects'
         });
+        expect(response.status).toHaveBeenCalledWith(500);
 
         done();
       }
@@ -88,7 +90,7 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
   });
 
   describe('apiGetProjectsForUser()', () => {
-    it('returns validation error if user id not provided', (done) => {
+    it('returns validation error if username not provided', (done) => {
       const request = new Request();
       request.setParams({});
       const response = new Response();
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
 
       UserMock.expects('findOne')
         .withArgs({ username: 'abc123' })
-        .yields(null, null);
+        .resolves(null);
 
       const promise = apiGetProjectsForUser(request, response);
 
@@ -137,7 +139,7 @@ describe('project.controller', () => {
 
       UserMock.expects('findOne')
         .withArgs({ username: 'abc123' })
-        .yields(new Error(), null);
+        .rejects(new Error());
 
       const promise = apiGetProjectsForUser(request, response);
 
diff --git a/server/controllers/project.controller/getProjectsForUser.js b/server/controllers/project.controller/getProjectsForUser.js
index 5579559915..a811ecd55c 100644
--- a/server/controllers/project.controller/getProjectsForUser.js
+++ b/server/controllers/project.controller/getProjectsForUser.js
@@ -1,76 +1,47 @@
 import Project from '../../models/project';
 import User from '../../models/user';
 import { toApi as toApiProjectObject } from '../../domain-objects/Project';
-import createApplicationErrorClass from '../../utils/createApplicationErrorClass';
 
-const UserNotFoundError = createApplicationErrorClass('UserNotFoundError');
-
-function getProjectsForUserName(username) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    User.findByUsername(username, (err, user) => {
-      if (err) {
-        reject(err);
-        return;
-      }
-
-      if (!user) {
-        reject(new UserNotFoundError());
-        return;
-      }
-
-      Project.find({ user: user._id })
-        .sort('-createdAt')
-        .select('name files id createdAt updatedAt')
-        .exec((innerErr, projects) => {
-          if (innerErr) {
-            reject(innerErr);
-            return;
-          }
-
-          resolve(projects);
-        });
-    });
-  });
-}
-
-export default function getProjectsForUser(req, res) {
-  if (req.params.username) {
-    return getProjectsForUserName(req.params.username)
-      .then((projects) => res.json(projects))
-      .catch((err) => {
-        if (err instanceof UserNotFoundError) {
-          res
-            .status(404)
-            .json({ message: 'User with that username does not exist.' });
-        } else {
-          res.status(500).json({ message: 'Error fetching projects' });
-        }
-      });
+/**
+ * Fetches projects for the username in the request.
+ * Handles errors.
+ * Returns a success response based on the provided `mapProjectsToResponse` function.
+ */
+const createCoreHandler = (mapProjectsToResponse) => async (req, res) => {
+  try {
+    const { username } = req.params;
+    if (!username) {
+      res.status(422).json({ message: 'Username not provided' });
+      return;
+    }
+    const user = await User.findByUsername(username);
+    if (!user) {
+      res
+        .status(404)
+        .json({ message: 'User with that username does not exist.' });
+      return;
+    }
+    const projects = await Project.find({ user: user._id })
+      .sort('-createdAt')
+      .select('name files id createdAt updatedAt')
+      .exec();
+    const response = mapProjectsToResponse(projects);
+    res.json(response);
+  } catch (e) {
+    res.status(500).json({ message: 'Error fetching projects' });
   }
-
-  // could just move this to client side
-  res.status(200).json([]);
-  return Promise.resolve();
-}
-
-export function apiGetProjectsForUser(req, res) {
-  if (req.params.username) {
-    return getProjectsForUserName(req.params.username)
-      .then((projects) => {
-        const asApiObjects = projects.map((p) => toApiProjectObject(p));
-        res.json({ sketches: asApiObjects });
-      })
-      .catch((err) => {
-        if (err instanceof UserNotFoundError) {
-          res
-            .status(404)
-            .json({ message: 'User with that username does not exist.' });
-        } else {
-          res.status(500).json({ message: 'Error fetching projects' });
-        }
-      });
-  }
-
-  res.status(422).json({ message: 'Username not provided' });
-  return Promise.resolve();
-}
+};
+
+/**
+ * Main handler returns an array of project objects.
+ */
+const getProjectsForUser = createCoreHandler((projects) => projects);
+export default getProjectsForUser;
+
+/**
+ * Handler for the public API returns an object with property `sketches`.
+ * The array of sketches contains the `id` and `name` only.
+ */
+export const apiGetProjectsForUser = createCoreHandler((projects) => ({
+  sketches: projects.map((p) => toApiProjectObject(p))
+}));