diff --git a/cinder/scheduler/rpcapi.py b/cinder/scheduler/rpcapi.py
index 772a413dc..103a892ad 100644
--- a/cinder/scheduler/rpcapi.py
+++ b/cinder/scheduler/rpcapi.py
@@ -123,6 +123,10 @@ class SchedulerAPI(rpc.RPCAPI):
         if version == '2.0':
             # Send request_spec as dict
             msg_args['request_spec'] = jsonutils.to_primitive(request_spec)
+            # NOTE(dulek): This is to keep supporting Mitaka's scheduler which
+            # expects a dictionary when creating a typeless volume.
+            if msg_args['request_spec'].get('volume_type') is None:
+                msg_args['request_spec']['volume_type'] = {}
 
         cctxt = self.client.prepare(version=version)
         return cctxt.cast(ctxt, 'create_volume', **msg_args)
diff --git a/cinder/tests/unit/scheduler/test_rpcapi.py b/cinder/tests/unit/scheduler/test_rpcapi.py
index d61b2c142..3014aa36e 100644
--- a/cinder/tests/unit/scheduler/test_rpcapi.py
+++ b/cinder/tests/unit/scheduler/test_rpcapi.py
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ class SchedulerRpcAPITestCase(test.TestCase):
                                  volume_id=self.volume_id,
                                  snapshot_id='snapshot_id',
                                  image_id='image_id',
-                                 request_spec='fake_request_spec',
+                                 request_spec={'volume_type': {}},
                                  filter_properties='filter_properties',
                                  volume=fake_volume.fake_volume_obj(
                                      self.context),