diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-mkl/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-mkl/package.py
index 91f22ecaaf..6cbf355e56 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-mkl/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-mkl/package.py
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def blas_libs(self):
             mkl_root = prefix.mkl.lib
 
         mkl_libs = find_libraries(
-            mkl_integer + ['libmkl_core'] + mkl_threading,
+            mkl_integer + mkl_threading + ['libmkl_core'],
             root=mkl_root,
             shared=shared
         )
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-parallel-studio/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-parallel-studio/package.py
index e8ac829757..fc399e5d24 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-parallel-studio/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/intel-parallel-studio/package.py
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ def blas_libs(self):
         mkl_root = prefix.compilers_and_libraries.linux.mkl.lib.intel64
 
         mkl_libs = find_libraries(
-            mkl_integer + ['libmkl_core'] + mkl_threading,
+            mkl_integer + mkl_threading + ['libmkl_core'],
             root=mkl_root,
             shared=shared
         )