Officially launched on 26 Nov. 2013, the OUC School of Automotive Engineering is a second-tier college of the university, jointly established by the China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Trades Association (CAMRA), the Automobile Culture Committee of the China Culture Promotion Association (CAAC), and Beijing Zhongdeheli Technology Training Centre (Zhongdeheli), with the latter taking the lead. The school operates as an independent college.

The cooperation between the OUC and Zhongdeheli began in 2004, and since then Zhongdeheli has brought automotive-industry organisations together with enterprises and universities by integrating educational resources from within and outside the industry, and has so far established 18 teaching and tutorial centres directly affiliated to the industry, training badly-needed automobile mechanics nationwide. The School has also built up a teaching team that includes university teachers and employed engineers. Over the past 10 years, more than 40,000 students have enrolled in Automotive Engineering, and over 10,000 have graduated and found employment. For non-degree continuing education and training, the two sides launched two training pilots for automotive-maintenance engineers in Beijing in 2012 and 2013; these had a pass rate of 65%, among the highest in the country, and were praised by the Beijing Municipal Transport Commission.

The founding of the School was the OUC's attempt to build the largest vocational-education platform for automotive engineering in China by integrating the existing high-quality educational resources in and outside the automobile industry, following the development plan of the OUC and the current state of development of the domestic industry. It will enhance education and promote lifelong education within the industry, giving workers the ability to learn anytime and anywhere.

In terms of operation and subjects, the School currently has majors at the junior-college level, with two orientations: Automotive Maintenance and Repair and Automotive Marketing. More Automotive Engineering orientations for junior college will be added, and the School aims to set up undergraduate majors as well. It is responsible for most of the teaching, for major and discipline construction, guiding and supervising its teaching units in accordance with the requirements of the OUC for enrolment, teaching affairs, teaching, and teaching management; for providing effective learner support, developing non-academic as well as degree continuing education, establishing mutual recognition of learning outcomes via the credit bank, and realising the interconnection and mutual recognition among academic degrees, qualifications and certificates, and non-qualifications and certificates.

The School will focus on innovations that include training reforms, highlighting vocational and open education and the advantages of operating schools within the industry, combining academic with vocational training and stressing adaptation to the market. The School combines diploma education with vocational training, allowing students to study both kinds simultaneously, and receive both vocational certification and academic credit. The certificates offered by the School so far are for Motor Vehicle Maintenance Technician and Motor Vehicle Maintenance Engineer in the Vocational Examination for Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Professionals, recognised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Transport; Motor Vehicle Maintenance Technical Personnel; Motor Vehicle Quality Inspection; Mechanic; Electrical Maintenance Personnel; Motor Vehicle Maintenance Intermediate Worker, Senior Worker, Technician, and Senior Technician.

The School will also cooperate with the Credit Bank in relation to credit recognition, accumulation, transfer, retrieval and exchange among learning outcomes. Registrants who have attended certificate courses listed in the teaching plan and recognised by training institutions, and who have passed the examinations, can exchange their national vocational qualification certificates for credits in corresponding Automotive Engineering courses, and obtain academic certification. Registrants who have obtained corresponding credits from other academic programmes and, together with other credits, have reached the minimum number required for graduation from Automotive Engineering, can obtain a graduation certificate issued by the OUC. Registrants who have obtained other high-level certificates, and whose courses are not listed in the curriculum, can also exchange the credits for those of corresponding courses, or obtain the corresponding credits in place of a certain course, and obtain an academic certificate after applying and being certified.