diff --git a/bigquery/google/cloud/bigquery/schema.py b/bigquery/google/cloud/bigquery/schema.py
index 99fc65fc0c46..61bc0bcedfd6 100644
--- a/bigquery/google/cloud/bigquery/schema.py
+++ b/bigquery/google/cloud/bigquery/schema.py
@@ -14,6 +14,33 @@
 
 """Schemas for BigQuery tables / queries."""
 
+from google.cloud.bigquery_v2 import types
+
+
+# SQL types reference:
+# https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/data-types#legacy_sql_data_types
+# https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/reference/standard-sql/data-types
+LEGACY_TO_STANDARD_TYPES = {
+    "STRING": types.StandardSqlDataType.STRING,
+    "BYTES": types.StandardSqlDataType.BYTES,
+    "INTEGER": types.StandardSqlDataType.INT64,
+    "INT64": types.StandardSqlDataType.INT64,
+    "FLOAT": types.StandardSqlDataType.FLOAT64,
+    "FLOAT64": types.StandardSqlDataType.FLOAT64,
+    "NUMERIC": types.StandardSqlDataType.NUMERIC,
+    "BOOLEAN": types.StandardSqlDataType.BOOL,
+    "BOOL": types.StandardSqlDataType.BOOL,
+    "GEOGRAPHY": types.StandardSqlDataType.GEOGRAPHY,
+    "RECORD": types.StandardSqlDataType.STRUCT,
+    "STRUCT": types.StandardSqlDataType.STRUCT,
+    "TIMESTAMP": types.StandardSqlDataType.TIMESTAMP,
+    "DATE": types.StandardSqlDataType.DATE,
+    "TIME": types.StandardSqlDataType.TIME,
+    "DATETIME": types.StandardSqlDataType.DATETIME,
+    # no direct conversion from ARRAY, the latter is represented by mode="REPEATED"
+}
+"""String names of the legacy SQL types to integer codes of Standard SQL types."""
+
 
 class SchemaField(object):
     """Describe a single field within a table schema.
@@ -146,6 +173,41 @@ def _key(self):
             self._fields,
         )
 
+    def to_standard_sql(self):
+        """Return the field as the standard SQL field representation object.
+
+        Returns:
+            An instance of :class:`~google.cloud.bigquery_v2.types.StandardSqlField`.
+        """
+        sql_type = types.StandardSqlDataType()
+
+        if self.mode == "REPEATED":
+            sql_type.type_kind = types.StandardSqlDataType.ARRAY
+        else:
+            sql_type.type_kind = LEGACY_TO_STANDARD_TYPES.get(
+                self.field_type, types.StandardSqlDataType.TYPE_KIND_UNSPECIFIED
+            )
+
+        if sql_type.type_kind == types.StandardSqlDataType.ARRAY:  # noqa: E721
+            array_element_type = LEGACY_TO_STANDARD_TYPES.get(
+                self.field_type, types.StandardSqlDataType.TYPE_KIND_UNSPECIFIED
+            )
+            sql_type.array_element_type.type_kind = array_element_type
+
+            # ARRAY cannot directly contain other arrays, only scalar types and STRUCTs
+            # https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/reference/standard-sql/data-types#array-type
+            if array_element_type == types.StandardSqlDataType.STRUCT:  # noqa: E721
+                sql_type.array_element_type.struct_type.fields.extend(
+                    field.to_standard_sql() for field in self.fields
+                )
+
+        elif sql_type.type_kind == types.StandardSqlDataType.STRUCT:  # noqa: E721
+            sql_type.struct_type.fields.extend(
+                field.to_standard_sql() for field in self.fields
+            )
+
+        return types.StandardSqlField(name=self.name, type=sql_type)
+
     def __eq__(self, other):
         if not isinstance(other, SchemaField):
             return NotImplemented
diff --git a/bigquery/tests/unit/test_schema.py b/bigquery/tests/unit/test_schema.py
index 4694aaf63cd8..682e45895852 100644
--- a/bigquery/tests/unit/test_schema.py
+++ b/bigquery/tests/unit/test_schema.py
@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ def _get_target_class():
 
         return SchemaField
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _get_standard_sql_data_type_class():
+        from google.cloud.bigquery_v2 import types
+
+        return types.StandardSqlDataType
+
     def _make_one(self, *args, **kw):
         return self._get_target_class()(*args, **kw)
 
@@ -151,6 +157,166 @@ def test_fields_property(self):
         schema_field = self._make_one("boat", "RECORD", fields=fields)
         self.assertIs(schema_field.fields, fields)
 
+    def test_to_standard_sql_simple_type(self):
+        sql_type = self._get_standard_sql_data_type_class()
+        examples = (
+            # a few legacy types
+            ("INTEGER", sql_type.INT64),
+            ("FLOAT", sql_type.FLOAT64),
+            ("BOOLEAN", sql_type.BOOL),
+            ("DATETIME", sql_type.DATETIME),
+            # a few standard types
+            ("INT64", sql_type.INT64),
+            ("FLOAT64", sql_type.FLOAT64),
+            ("BOOL", sql_type.BOOL),
+            ("GEOGRAPHY", sql_type.GEOGRAPHY),
+        )
+        for legacy_type, standard_type in examples:
+            field = self._make_one("some_field", legacy_type)
+            standard_field = field.to_standard_sql()
+            self.assertEqual(standard_field.name, "some_field")
+            self.assertEqual(standard_field.type.type_kind, standard_type)
+            self.assertFalse(standard_field.type.HasField("sub_type"))
+
+    def test_to_standard_sql_struct_type(self):
+        from google.cloud.bigquery_v2 import types
+
+        # Expected result object:
+        #
+        # name: "image_usage"
+        # type {
+        #     type_kind: STRUCT
+        #     struct_type {
+        #         fields {
+        #             name: "image_content"
+        #             type {type_kind: BYTES}
+        #         }
+        #         fields {
+        #             name: "last_used"
+        #             type {
+        #                 type_kind: STRUCT
+        #                 struct_type {
+        #                     fields {
+        #                         name: "date_field"
+        #                         type {type_kind: DATE}
+        #                     }
+        #                     fields {
+        #                         name: "time_field"
+        #                         type {type_kind: TIME}
+        #                     }
+        #                 }
+        #             }
+        #         }
+        #     }
+        # }
+
+        sql_type = self._get_standard_sql_data_type_class()
+
+        # level 2 fields
+        sub_sub_field_date = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="date_field", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.DATE)
+        )
+        sub_sub_field_time = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="time_field", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.TIME)
+        )
+
+        # level 1 fields
+        sub_field_struct = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="last_used", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.STRUCT)
+        )
+        sub_field_struct.type.struct_type.fields.extend(
+            [sub_sub_field_date, sub_sub_field_time]
+        )
+        sub_field_bytes = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="image_content", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.BYTES)
+        )
+
+        # level 0 (top level)
+        expected_result = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="image_usage", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.STRUCT)
+        )
+        expected_result.type.struct_type.fields.extend(
+            [sub_field_bytes, sub_field_struct]
+        )
+
+        # construct legacy SchemaField object
+        sub_sub_field1 = self._make_one("date_field", "DATE")
+        sub_sub_field2 = self._make_one("time_field", "TIME")
+        sub_field_record = self._make_one(
+            "last_used", "RECORD", fields=(sub_sub_field1, sub_sub_field2)
+        )
+        sub_field_bytes = self._make_one("image_content", "BYTES")
+
+        for type_name in ("RECORD", "STRUCT"):
+            schema_field = self._make_one(
+                "image_usage", type_name, fields=(sub_field_bytes, sub_field_record)
+            )
+            standard_field = schema_field.to_standard_sql()
+            self.assertEqual(standard_field, expected_result)
+
+    def test_to_standard_sql_array_type_simple(self):
+        from google.cloud.bigquery_v2 import types
+
+        sql_type = self._get_standard_sql_data_type_class()
+
+        # construct expected result object
+        expected_sql_type = sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.ARRAY)
+        expected_sql_type.array_element_type.type_kind = sql_type.INT64
+        expected_result = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="valid_numbers", type=expected_sql_type
+        )
+
+        # construct "repeated" SchemaField object and convert to standard SQL
+        schema_field = self._make_one("valid_numbers", "INT64", mode="REPEATED")
+        standard_field = schema_field.to_standard_sql()
+
+        self.assertEqual(standard_field, expected_result)
+
+    def test_to_standard_sql_array_type_struct(self):
+        from google.cloud.bigquery_v2 import types
+
+        sql_type = self._get_standard_sql_data_type_class()
+
+        # define person STRUCT
+        name_field = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="name", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.STRING)
+        )
+        age_field = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="age", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.INT64)
+        )
+        person_struct = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="person_info", type=sql_type(type_kind=sql_type.STRUCT)
+        )
+        person_struct.type.struct_type.fields.extend([name_field, age_field])
+
+        # define expected result - an ARRAY of person structs
+        expected_sql_type = sql_type(
+            type_kind=sql_type.ARRAY, array_element_type=person_struct.type
+        )
+        expected_result = types.StandardSqlField(
+            name="known_people", type=expected_sql_type
+        )
+
+        # construct legacy repeated SchemaField object
+        sub_field1 = self._make_one("name", "STRING")
+        sub_field2 = self._make_one("age", "INTEGER")
+        schema_field = self._make_one(
+            "known_people", "RECORD", fields=(sub_field1, sub_field2), mode="REPEATED"
+        )
+
+        standard_field = schema_field.to_standard_sql()
+        self.assertEqual(standard_field, expected_result)
+
+    def test_to_standard_sql_unknown_type(self):
+        sql_type = self._get_standard_sql_data_type_class()
+        field = self._make_one("weird_field", "TROOLEAN")
+
+        standard_field = field.to_standard_sql()
+
+        self.assertEqual(standard_field.name, "weird_field")
+        self.assertEqual(standard_field.type.type_kind, sql_type.TYPE_KIND_UNSPECIFIED)
+        self.assertFalse(standard_field.type.HasField("sub_type"))
+
     def test___eq___wrong_type(self):
         field = self._make_one("test", "STRING")
         other = object()