Many people make the mistake of assuming that hour spend in a classroom at university are correlated to work undertaken. I must stress that it is reading for a degree that is of greater importance, especially beyond science subject, therefore the criticism is misplaced. At any top university, this will require hours in the library exploring texts and contemplating arguments and counter-arguments.
An ATPL is emphatically not a degree nor is comparable to a degree.
It is a vocational, professional qualification, which requires a high degree of hands-on teaching, but little development of new theory, critical analysis, formulation of argument, or (god forbid) experimentation.