“I am currently thinking of becoming an audio visual systems design engineer. Does anyone know what you have to do to become one in Canada?”
The job title “audio visual systems design engineer” is not a normal job title; I doubt you will find an engineer or designer with that specific title.
“Is electronics engineering basically the same thing as electrical engineering?
Yes, basically. Electrical and electronics engineering are commonly lumped together, academically speaking, into a single overall academic discipline or field. You’ll also find a variety of subdisciplines having similar titles within the category of “Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering,” for example Electrical and Computer Engineering, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, etc.
“This is what I would like to do I would like to design, build, test and if i could also install audio visual equipment such as projectors, tvs, sound systems in short as much as i can involving theatre systems.”
“Can you do what I described with a degree in electrical engineering?”
To answer the latter question first: yes however electrical and electronics engineers rarely perform installation and/or construction work. However it is not uncommon for an engineer to provide consulting and supervision during installation or construction. Engineers also regularly perform testing and measuring in the field. Audio-Video (A/V) systems design and integration is overwhelmingly performed by—you guessed it—systems designers and systems integrators, neither of which requires a formal engineering degree (though it certainly wouldn’t hurt with respect to A/V systems design.) An electrical, electronics, and computer engineering degree would provide an excellent technical foundation and greatly increase your odds of employment, including successful self-employment, in the consumer electronics industry. It also improves the selection of companies from which to choose as well as your ability to move vertically within a given company.
Your field of interest involves multiple trades and disciplines; in the latter case Acoustical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemistry, and Materials Science. With respect to consumer electronics equipment: designing, building (or more specifically manufacturing,) and testing fall directly within the broader scope of engineering. Installation and maintenance as well as certain types of testing are typically performed by trained technicians. Such training is available at trade schools, two-year colleges, universities (typically at satellite campuses,) and independent specialized training providers.
In Canada the University of Waterloo and McGill University are the top schools that offer engineering programs with a greater emphasis on consumer electronics and related disciplines, respectively. I strongly recommend that you avoid schools that are not properly accredited as well as for-profit schools like ITT, DeVry, University of Phoenix, etc. Many employers do not hold graduates from these schools in the same standing as those from accredited traditional public and private schools, whether two- or four-year.
I recommend that you do a little more research using the various professional organizations and trade associations to which I have provided a link below. You should also consider obtaining a (student) membership in some of these organizations (esp. IEEE, AES, SMPTE, CEDIA, and InfoComm,) as well as joining a few of the local student chapters where available.
RESOURCES
Wikipedia
– Electrical engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering – Electronic engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_engineering Consumer Electronics Education and Professional Resources
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhpmqnbb_47d5jvv8c8 College, Inc. | FRONTLINE | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/ CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES
Audio Research Group at University of Waterloo
http://audiolab.uwaterloo.ca – Audio & Acoustic Links
http://audiolab.uwaterloo.ca/aa_links.html McGill University - Electrical and Computer Engineering
http://www.mcgill.ca/ece/undergrad/information/ee Groupe d’Acoustique de l’Université de Sherbrooke
http://www.gaus.gme.usherbrooke.ca/page.aspx?page=Acceuil