I have a Master of Science degree in computing and all I can say is that a degree and the ATPL are so different, that they can't be compared directly. When studying for my degree, I had to solve problems several orders of magnitude more difficult than anything required for the ATPL. It was a completely different level! On the other hand the volume of the ATPL material is huge, several times more than everything I had to learn during the 5 years spent at the university put together.