diff --git a/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/Configuration.php b/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/Configuration.php
index 60bdb439..e7d15de0 100644
--- a/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/Configuration.php
+++ b/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/Configuration.php
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ class Configuration
      */
     protected $xml;
 
+    protected $availableNodes = array('file', 'directory', 'testsuite');
+
     /**
      * A collection of datastructures
      * build from the <testsuite> nodes inside of a
@@ -79,41 +81,48 @@ public function getSuites()
             return null;
         }
         $suites = array();
-        $nodes = $this->xml->xpath('//testsuite');
+        $nodes = $this->xml->xpath('//testsuites/testsuite');
+
         while (list(, $node) = each($nodes)) {
-            foreach ($node->directory as $dir) {
-                foreach ($this->getSuitePaths((string) $dir) as $path) {
-                    $suites[(string)$node['name']][] = new SuitePath($path, $dir->attributes()->suffix);
-                }
-            }
+            $suites = array_merge_recursive($suites, $this->getSuiteByName((string)$node['name']));
         }
         return $suites;
     }
 
-    public function getTestsuiteItems()
-    {
-
-    }
-
     /**
+     * Return the contents of the <testsuite> nodes
+     * contained in a PHPUnit configuration
+     *
      * @param string $suiteName
      *
-     * @return array|null
+     * @return array
      */
-    public function getSuiteFiles($suiteName)
+    public function getSuiteByName($suiteName)
     {
         $nodes = $this->xml->xpath(sprintf('//testsuite[@name="%s"]', $suiteName));
 
-        $files = array();
+        $suites = array();
         while (list(, $node) = each($nodes)) {
-            foreach ($node->file as $file) {
-                foreach ($this->getSuitePaths((string) $file) as $path) {
-                    $files[] = $path;
+            foreach ($this->availableNodes as $nodeName) {
+                foreach ($node->{$nodeName} as $nodeContent) {
+                    switch ($nodeName) {
+                        case 'testsuite':
+                            $suites = array_merge_recursive($suites, $this->getSuiteByName((string)$nodeContent));
+                            break;
+                        default:
+                            foreach ($this->getSuitePaths((string)$nodeContent) as $path) {
+                                $suites[(string)$node['name']][] = new SuitePath(
+                                    $path,
+                                    $nodeContent->attributes()->suffix
+                                );
+                            }
+                            break;
+                    }
                 }
             }
         }
 
-        return $files;
+        return $suites;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoader.php b/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoader.php
index 24aa79e1..3033706a 100644
--- a/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoader.php
+++ b/src/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoader.php
@@ -93,15 +93,11 @@ public function load($path = '')
         if ($path) {
             $this->loadPath($path);
         } elseif (isset($this->options->testsuite) && $this->options->testsuite) {
-            foreach ($configuration->getSuiteFiles($this->options->testsuite) as $file) {
-                $this->loadFile($file);
-            }
-            foreach ($configuration->getSuites() as $suite) {
+            foreach ($configuration->getSuiteByName($this->options->testsuite) as $suite) {
                 foreach ($suite as $suitePath) {
                     $this->loadPath($suitePath);
                 }
             }
-            $this->files = array_unique($this->files); // remove duplicates
         } elseif ($suites = $configuration->getSuites()) {
             foreach ($suites as $suite) {
                 foreach ($suite as $suitePath) {
@@ -114,6 +110,8 @@ public function load($path = '')
             throw new \RuntimeException("No path or configuration provided (tests must end with Test.php)");
         }
 
+        $this->files = array_unique($this->files); // remove duplicates
+
         $this->initSuites();
     }
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/phpunit-files-dirs-mix-nested.xml b/test/fixtures/phpunit-files-dirs-mix-nested.xml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5a0cef90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/phpunit-files-dirs-mix-nested.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<phpunit backupGlobals="false"
+         backupStaticAttributes="false"
+         bootstrap="../bootstrap.php"
+         colors="true"
+         convertErrorsToExceptions="true"
+         convertNoticesToExceptions="true"
+         convertWarningsToExceptions="true"
+         processIsolation="false"
+         stopOnFailure="false"
+         syntaxCheck="false"
+        >
+    <testsuites>
+        <testsuite name="ParaTest Fixtures">
+            <directory>./failing-tests/</directory>
+            <file>./passing-tests/TestOfUnits.php</file>
+            <file>./passing-tests/GroupsTest.php</file>
+            <testsuite>Nested Suite</testsuite>
+        </testsuite>
+        <testsuite name="Nested Suite">
+            <directory>./passing-tests/</directory>
+            <file>./passing-tests/GroupsTest.php</file>
+        </testsuite>
+    </testsuites>
+</phpunit>
diff --git a/test/unit/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoaderTest.php b/test/unit/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoaderTest.php
index dba1fd7e..5fdc0dd2 100644
--- a/test/unit/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoaderTest.php
+++ b/test/unit/ParaTest/Runners/PHPUnit/SuiteLoaderTest.php
@@ -93,7 +93,9 @@ public function testLoadTestsuiteWithDirectories()
 
     public function testLoadTestsuiteWithFilesDirsMixed()
     {
-        $options = new Options(array('configuration' => $this->fixture('phpunit-files-dirs-mix.xml'), 'testsuite' => 'ParaTest Fixtures'));
+        $options = new Options(
+            array('configuration' => $this->fixture('phpunit-files-dirs-mix.xml'), 'testsuite' => 'ParaTest Fixtures')
+        );
         $loader = new SuiteLoader($options);
         $loader->load();
         $files = $this->getObjectValue($loader, 'files');
@@ -102,6 +104,20 @@ public function testLoadTestsuiteWithFilesDirsMixed()
         $this->assertEquals($expected, sizeof($files));
     }
 
+    public function testLoadTestsuiteWithNestedSuite()
+    {
+        $options = new Options(
+            array('configuration' => $this->fixture('phpunit-files-dirs-mix-nested.xml'), 'testsuite' => 'ParaTest Fixtures')
+        );
+        $loader = new SuiteLoader($options);
+        $loader->load();
+        $files = $this->getObjectValue($loader, 'files');
+
+        $expected = sizeof($this->findTests(FIXTURES . DS . 'passing-tests')) +
+            sizeof($this->findTests(FIXTURES . DS . 'failing-tests')) + 1;
+        $this->assertEquals($expected, sizeof($files));
+    }
+
     public function testLoadTestsuiteWithDuplicateFilesDirMixed()
     {
         $options = new Options(array('configuration' => $this->fixture('phpunit-files-dirs-mix-duplicates.xml'), 'testsuite' => 'ParaTest Fixtures'));